No parent likes to see their child sick, especially when they’re so sick that they need to stay home from their Orlando daycare and potentially go to the doctor’s office.
Well fall is officially here and flu season is on its way. No matter what age, getting the flu vaccine is beneficial in preventing a nasty bug, but it is especially recommended that very young children and the elderly get the flu vaccine.
But did you know why young children are at a higher risk of contracting the virus?
Flu Vaccines Help Prevent Serious Complications
Children’s immune systems are more susceptible to diseases like influenza (the flu), which is why it is a priority for young children to receive the flu vaccine. Unlike older teens and adults, many children who contract the flu need to be hospitalized and receive further medical attention. Each year, millions of children get sick with seasonal influenza; thousands of children are hospitalized and some children die from the flu.
There are two different types of flu vaccines that are typically available to children - the trivalent vaccine and the quadrivalent vaccine. The names refer to the number of flu viruses each vaccine protects against.
Trivalent vaccines are made to protect against three flu viruses; an influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus.
Quadrivalent vaccines protect against the same three viruses as the trivalent vaccine and an additional B virus.
In addition to the flu vaccine, maintaining good overall hygiene and health will also help keep your child healthy this flu season. To help stop the spread of colds and flus from one child to another, make sure to keep them home from school and daycare if they have a temperature or any flulike symptoms.
Check out our blog for more information: When is My Child Too Sick to Send to Orlando Daycare?
Healthy kids are happy kids! At Kids & Company Learning Centers we strive to keep our Orlando childcare locations illness-free. We hope that by understanding the flu vaccine more, we can all help keep our children safe and healthy.
Kids & Company Learning Centers offers so much more than the typical Orlando daycare. Free hot meals, free afternoon transportation, after school care until 7:00 pm, and we even have the option for Saturday and night care at our Curry Ford location. If you have any questions about our programs, including infant care, childcare, VPK, or after school programs give us a call at (407) 227-1015.