Newsroom > May E-Newsletter > Responding to the H1N1 Flu

Responding to the H1N1 Flu  

Please see the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website for the most updated information of confirmed cases in Massachusetts.

Given the number of confirmed cases in Massachusetts, it is particularly important that families and visitors who are experiencing flu-like symptoms not visit inpatients at the FranciscanHospital for Children. 

If your child is a patient at our Pediatric clinic, and you are coming for an appointment, take reasonable precaution in the waiting area. 

If you believe your child has the flu, please call the clinic at 617-779-1500 to discuss treatment before coming in.  In the meantime, follow these guidelines:  

·         Unless they need medical attention, keep anyone who is sick at home. Don’t send them to school or daycare.

·         Have them drink a lot of liquid (juice, water, Pedialyte ®).

·         Keep the sick child comfortable. Rest is important.

·         For fever, sore throat, and muscle aches, you can use fever-reducing medicines that your doctor recommends based on your child’s age. Do not use aspirin with children or teenagers; it can cause Reye’s syndrome, a life-threatening illness.

·         If someone in your home is sick, keep him or her away from those who are not sick.

·         Keep tissues close to the sick person and have a trash bag within reach for disposing used tissues.

If your child comes in contact with someone with H1N1 flu, ask your doctor if he or she should receive antiviral medicines to prevent getting sick from H1N1 Flu.

If your child experiences any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care:

·         Fast breathing or trouble breathing

·         Bluish or gray skin color

·         Not drinking enough fluids

·         Not waking up or not interacting

·         Being so irritable that he or she does not want to be held

·         Not urinating or no tears when crying

·         Their symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Click here to view some guidelines that may be helpful in talking to your child about the flu.

Staff from our Infection Control Program are in close contact with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control. The MDPH and CDC websites have a lot of useful information and recommendations regarding swine flu.