Flu Season: Keep Your Baby From Getting Sick

It’s flu season once again! With the sudden change in weather comes a higher risk of sipon, ubo, and trangkaso or flu. This is especially true for kids as their immune systems are not yet fully developed to fight off the flu.

As parents, it is important to be aware of the symptoms of the flu, what to do in case your child gets sick, and the necessary precautions to prevent trangkaso sa bata. 

Is baby sneezing and coughing? Baka trangkaso na to!

While anyone can get sick with the flu, babies and young children tend to be more susceptible compared to older children and adults.

In addition, babies and young children are also more likely to experience more serious symptoms of the flu. While rare, there is a higher risk for babies to be taken to emergency room for a serious case of the flu¹.

If you notice your baby sneezing and coughing, it would be best to observe their symptoms and treat them as soon as you can. This is especially true with the onset of the rainy or flu season.

Flu season in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the flu season usually starts around June up to November, with June heralding the start of the rainy season². Some viruses that cause colds and flu, such as the rhinovirus, tend to thrive and spread more easily during cold weather³. 

While adults can typically fight off these infections with little to no symptoms, babies and children tend to be more vulnerable due to their less developed immune systems. Coupled with the change of weather, the risk of trangkaso sa bata is very real during this time of year.

Knowing more about trangkaso can help you spot the early symptoms, as well as take the necessary steps to prevent your child from getting sick in the first place.

Influenza / flu virus

Trangkaso or flu is a viral infection of the respiratory system⁴. This means that it can affect a person’s nose, throat, and their lungs. It is also highly contagious and can spread easily through exposure to someone sick or showing symptoms of flu.

Flu symptoms in babies

Spotting flu symptoms early on means that treatment can start sooner. This can significantly lower the risk of more serious complications of trangkaso sa bata.

The most common and easily identifiable symptoms of flu are sipon and ubo or sneezing and coughing. But here are some other possible symptoms that can manifest⁵:

• Fever or chills
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffed nose
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue
• Vomiting or diarrhea, especially in children

If your child starts to show some of these symptoms, especially during the rainy season, then they might have the flu. It would be best to get in touch with their doctor as soon as possible and not hesitate to take them to the hospital if needed.

How baby can avoid the flu

The best way to deal with the flu is to prevent your baby from getting sick in the first place. 

Here are some of the things that you can do to prevent the flu⁵:

• Get vaccinated. While babies below 6 months cannot get vaccinated yet, it helps to do so as soon as your child is old enough. Until then, it also helps your child if you and other carers are vaccinated against flu.
• Avoid sick people. As much as possible, try to keep sick people away from your baby, even if they’re exhibiting mild symptoms.
• Wash your hands often, and wipe down frequently touched surfaces. Keeping your hands and surfaces clean helps kill off the flu virus and lowers the risk of disease transmission through indirect contact.
• Keep your toddler’s hands clean. Your baby may put their hands in their mouth, transferring germs like the flu virus from the environment. Wash your baby’s hands with soap and water. If you do not have access to these, you may use baby wipes such as Nursy Baby Wipes.

Using wipes to keep baby’s hands clean

Nursy Baby Wipes (Powder Scent) are Paraben, MCI, and MCT-free. Parabens are endocrine disruptors, which means they affect the body’s hormones. MCI and MCT have both been known to cause contact dermatitis.

Simply put, this means that Nursy Baby Wipes are perfectly safe for use on babies and won’t cause any health problems or skin irritation.

Nursy Baby Wipes are also FDA approved, so you can rest assured that you’re getting a high quality product that can help keep your baby clean and free from disease.

Keep your baby’s hands clean to avoid the flu using Nursy Baby Wipes.