Tag Archives: flu

HEALTHY TIPS

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Now that cooler weather is upon us and the flu season is approaching, we wanted to offer some general suggestions and reminders to help you and the children under your care to stay healthy throughout the year.

Keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit= Balance:

Get enough sleep
Eat healthily
Exercise regularly
Take some time each day to relax
Rest or slow down when you feel tired
Maintain a balance between work, rest, relaxation and your social life
Go outdoors! Even when it’s cold.  Cold air doesn’t cause illness, staying cooped up inside with the germs usually does it. Plus the sunshine (Vitamin D) is good for you.

Protect yourself and others:

Please remember that preventing illness and the spread of disease protects not just you and your family, but also children who may have serious conditions affecting their ability to fight off infections. Kids who may have asthma, diabetes, heart disease, severe allergies, cystic fibrosis, cancer or other conditions are more vulnerable.

Avoid spreading germs, wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home if sick
Cover coughs or sneeze with the crook  of your elbow or a tissue-not your hand
Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water will help prevent the spread of influenza, strep throat, stomach viruses, and many other diseases.  Please keep children home from school if they have a respiratory illness, fever, diarrhea or vomiting.
Shower regularly
Avoid contact with people who have cold or flu symptoms

Keep a clean and healthy home environment:

Keep frequently touched surface clean(kitchen counters, computer keyboards and computer areas, telephones, doorknobs)
Keep the children’s play area and toys clean
Keep your bedroom dust free as possible.Vacuum regularly and empty your waste basket daily.

Prevent the flu:
Did you know the flu virus can knock you out for a week or more? Symptoms include high fever and severe head and muscle aches. Infection can lead to complications like ear and sinus infections, dehydration, and bacterial pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older should receive a flu vaccine each year.

Where can you get the flu vaccine?:
Flu vaccines are available NOW in medical offices, pharmacies and at your County Public Health Division.  You don’t need to have a regular doctor or nurse to get the flu vaccine.

To find flu shots near you go to http://vaccine.healthmap.org/ and type in your zip code.

Have a safe and healthy year!

How to Talk to Children about Health News

With stories about infectious diseases like the flu, Ebola, and Enterovirus D68 in conversations and on the news, your children may be worried about becoming sick. Here are some tips about how to talk about these illnesses:

Be informed:
Get accurate information about the illness from reliable sources, including:
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov)
World Health Organization (who.int)
Arlington County Public Health Division (http://health.arlingtonva.us/public-health/)
Ensure that you are ready to answer children’s questions. Print information to readily answer questions.

Consider your child’s age, maturity level, and coping style:
Generally, younger children need more reassurance and want to be told that they are safe. Older children are more ready for information and may ask questions.
Like adults, children handle information differently: some children need more information to deal with issues, while others worry more if they have a lot of information.
Adjust the information you share to your child’s personality and needs, using words they understand.

Use these guidelines to help have a conversation (or two) about the topic:
Ask your children what they have already heard and understand about the disease. Ask them what other information they would like, correct any misinformation.
Be factual and honest. Help children understand the differences between common illnesses, like colds, that they may catch and the rare diseases that may be talked about in the news.
If you are unsure of an answer, explain to your child that you don’t know. If it is still of interest, offer to look up the answer for them, or, if they are old enough and interested, help them look it up themselves.
Use the conversation as a chance to teach caring for others who may be having a hard time. You might also use this as an opportunity to talk about bullying and ways to prevent it.

Use our conversation starters to help you initiate a conversation with your child:

Consider simply asking your children about the illness or disease you want to discuss. Use what your children tell you to clear up misunderstandings and answer any questions they have. Possible questions include:
“Can you tell me what you’ve heard about _______?”
“Has ______ been mentioned at school?”
“You’ve probably noticed that ________has been mentioned a lot lately. Do you want to talk about it?”
Use books, movies, or television to help start a conversation:
Read a book with your child where a character becomes ill, like “Katie Woo Has the Flu”, “Germs Are Not for Sharing”, or “A Germ’s Journey” to help start a conversation about illness.
Bring up the topic if a news show or movie mentions an illness when your children are in the room. You could even plan a movie night a way to initiate a discussion. For example, watch PBS’s “Frontline: Ebola Outbreak” with your older teenager and discuss infectious diseases afterwards.
Use websites like http://www.childrennow.org/index.php/learn/talking_with_kids/ and http://kidshealth.org/parent to help you plan more conversation starters.

Remain calm and confident:
Your children notice your attitude. If you act nervous or fearful, your children will copy this behavior. Don’t just tell children they “shouldn’t worry.” Rather, support them as they learn to overcome their fears.
Rehearse the conversation with a friend or spouse to help you remain calm and focused when you talk to your children.

Remind your children they can take simple steps to protect themselves from both common and rare diseases:
Wash hands with soap and warm water (scrub for 20 seconds) to get germs off hands. Do this several times every day. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover coughs and sneezes with elbows or a tissue to prevent spreading germs to others.
Stay home from school and activities when sick to prevent spreading germs to others, and to recover more quickly.
Source:ArlingtonVa.us

HEALTHY HABITS

Now that cooler weather is upon us and the flu season is here, we wanted to offer some general suggestions and reminders to help you and the children under your care to stay healthy throughout the year.

Keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit= Balance

Get enough sleep

Eat healthily

Exercise regularly

Take some time each day to relax

Rest or slow down when you feel tired

Maintain a balance between work, rest, relaxation and your social life

Go outdoors! Even when it’s cold.  Cold air doesn’t cause illness, staying cooped up inside with the germs usually does it. Plus the sunshine (Vitamin D) is good for you.

Protect yourself and others

Please remember that preventing illness and the spread of disease protects not just you and your family, but also children who may have serious conditions affecting their ability to fight off infections. Kids who may have asthma, diabetes, heart disease, severe allergies, cystic fibrosis, cancer or other conditions are more vulnerable.

Avoid spreading germs, wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home if sick

Cover coughs or sneeze with the crook  of your elbow or a tissue-not your hand

Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water will help prevent the spread of influenza, strep throat, stomach viruses, and many other diseases.  Please keep children home from school if they have a respiratory illness, fever, diarrhea or vomiting.

Shower regularly

Avoid contact with people who have cold or flu symptoms

Keep a clean and healthy home environment

Keep frequently touched surface clean(kitchen counters, computer keyboards and computer areas, telephones, doorknobs)

Keep the children’s play area and toys clean

Keep your bedroom dust free as possible.Vacuum regularly and empty your waste basket daily.

Prevent the flu

Did you know the flu virus can knock you out for a week or more? Symptoms include high fever and severe head and muscle aches. Infection can lead to complications like ear and sinus infections, dehydration, and bacterial pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older should receive a flu vaccine each year.

Where can you get the flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines are available NOW in medical offices, pharmacies and at your County Public Health Division.  Go to http://health.arlingtonva.us/flu/  to find out about a place near you.

You don’t need to have a regular doctor or nurse to get the flu vaccine.

.

Have a safe and healthy Fall Season!

Healthy Habits

Keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit= Balance

Get enough sleep

Eat healthily

Exercise regularly

Take some time each day to relax

Rest or slow down when you feel tired

Maintain a balance between work, rest, relaxation and your social life

Go outdoors! Even when it’s cold.  Cold air doesn’t cause illness, staying cooped up inside with the germs usually does it. Plus the sunshine (Vitamin D) is good for you.

Protect yourself and others

Please remember that preventing illness and the spread of disease protects not just you and your

family, but also children who may have serious conditions affecting their ability to fight off infections. Kids who may have asthma, diabetes, heart disease, severe allergies, cystic fibrosis, cancer or other conditions are more vulnerable.

Avoid spreading germs, wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home if sick

Cover coughs or sneeze with the crook  of your elbow or a tissue-not your hand

Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water will help prevent the spread of influenza, strep throat, stomach viruses, and many other diseases.  Please keep children home from school if they have a respiratory illness, fever, diarrhea or vomiting.

Shower regularly

Avoid contact with people who have cold or flu symptoms

Keep a clean and healthy home environment

Keep frequently touched surface clean(kitchen counters, computer keyboards and computer areas, telephones, doorknobs)

Keep the children’s play area and toys clean

Keep your bedroom dust free as possible.Vacuum regularly and empty your waste basket daily.

Prevent the flu

Did you know the flu virus can knock you out for a week or more? Symptoms include high fever and severe head and muscle aches. Infection can lead to complications like ear and sinus infections, dehydration, and bacterial pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older should receive a flu vaccine each year.

Where can you get the flu vaccine?

Flu vaccines are available NOW in medical offices, pharmacies and at your County Public Health Division.  You don’t need to have a regular doctor or nurse to get the flu vaccine.

To find flu shots near you go to http://flushot.healthmap.org/ and type in your zip code.whoneedsvaccine_red_600x120

FLU SEASON

CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FLU VACCINE,SYMPTOMS AND CLINICS IN YOUR AREA:WWW.FLU.GOV

Healthy Living For The Fall And Winter Seasons:


A few simple tips for au pairs to avoid the flu this season:

Keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit = balance

  • Get enough sleep
  • Eat healthily
  • Exercise regularly
  • Take some time each day to relax
  • Rest or slow down when you feel tired
  • Maintain a balance between work, rest, relaxation and your social life

Stay healthy and avoid spreading germs

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer
  • Shower regularly
  • Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth.  Germs often spread this way.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with the crook of your elbow or a tissue – not your hand
  • Put used tissues in a wastepaper basket
  • Avoid close contact with people who have cold or flu symptoms

Keep a clean and healthy home environment

  • Keep frequently touched surfaces clean.   These may include:

Ø     Kitchen counters

Ø     Computer keyboards and computer areas

Ø    Telephones

Ø    Doorknobs

  • Keep the children’s play area and toys clean.
  • Keep your bedroom as dust free as possible.  Vacuum regularly and empty your waste paper basket daily.

The Public Health Division is offering FREE flu vaccine at special clinics in the main DHS building from December 14 – 17.Please take time to go.It is better to prevent the flu than spending the Holidays sick and in bed!

FREE Flu Vaccine

WHEN:

Tuesday December 14 9 am – 12 pm

Wednesday, December 15 9 am – 12 pm

Thursday, December 16 9 am – 12 pm

Friday, December 17 12 pm – 3 pm

WHERE: Sequoia Plaza
2100 Washington Blvd.,  2nd floor
Look for signs to Arlington County Human Services

  • Vaccine will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Vaccine available for those 3 years of age and older.
  • Flu “shot” and nasal spray available.
  • Please wear a shirt or blouse with short sleeves that may be rolled up easily. The flu “shot” is given in the upper arm.
  • Free parking available on site.
  • For more information call the Arlington County Public Health Division 703-228-1621.
  • Vaccine will also be available in our Open Immunization Clinic, same location, Tuesdays 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm and Fridays 7:30 – 11:00 am.

* Vaccine Provided by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)