Flu: A guide for
parents of children or
adolescents with chronic
health condions
What is u?
Inuenza (u) is a contagious respiratory illness
cause by inuenza viruses that infect the nose,
throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness,
and at mes complicaons from u can lead to
hospital stays and death. Children younger than
5, but especially children younger than 2 years
old, and children and adolescents with certain
chronic health condions are at increased risk of
developing serious u complicaons. The best way
to reduce the risk of u and its potenally serious
complicaons is to get a u vaccine each year.
What if my child seems very sick?
If your child is experiencing any of the following
emergency warning signs, you should take them to the
emergency room:
§ Fast breathing or trouble breathing
§ Bluish lips or face
§ Ribs pulling in with each breath
§ Chest pain
§ Severe muscle pain (child refuses to walk)
§ Dehydraon (no urine for 8 hours, dry mouth, no
tears when crying)
§ Not alert or interacng when awake
§ Seizures
§ Fever above 104° F
§ In children younger than 12 weeks, any fever
§ Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen
§ Worsening of chronic medical condions
When can my child go back to school aer
being sick with u?
§ Your child should stay home for at least 24 hours
aer their fever is gone.
§ The fever should be gone without the use of a
fever-reducing medicine, such as acetaminophen
or ibuprofen.
§ A fever is dened as 100° F/37.8° C or greater*
*Many authories use either 100 (37.8 degrees Celsius) or
100.4 F (38.0 degrees Celsius) as a cut-o for fever, but this
number can vary depending on factors such as the method
of measurement and the age of the person.
Is a u vaccine safe for my child with
chronic health problems?
Yes. Flu vaccines have an excellent safety record and
a number of them are approved for use in children
older than 6 months, including healthy children
and children with certain chronic health condions.
Because children with chronic health condions are
at increased risk of geng u related complicaons,
it is especially important that they get vaccinated.
What u vaccine should my child get and
how many doses?
In general, children with chronic medical
condions should get a u shot rather than a nasal
spray u vaccine. Your health care provider can
help choose the best vaccine opon. Addionally,
children younger than 9 years old may need 2
doses of the vaccine if they have not received two
doses of the vaccine in the past. Talk with your
health care provider to discuss how many doses are
recommended for your child.
How can I plan ahead with my child’s
school or child care?
Find out your child’s school or childcare providers
plan for u season. Let them know your child is at
higher risk for u-related problems.
CDC recommends that all children 6 months
and older, especially those with chronic health
condions, get a seasonal u vaccine every year.
CS320365
For more informaon, visit
www.cdc.gov/u
or call 800-CDC-INFO
Flu Information
How do I know if my child’s medical
condion puts them at higher risk of
developing serious u complicaons?
A child of any age is at higher risk of u complicaons if
they have any of the following chronic health condions:
§ Asthma
§ Neurologic and
neurodevelopment condions
[including disorders of the
brain, spinal cord, peripheral
nerve and muscle, such
as cerebral palsy, epilepsy
(seizure disorders), stroke,
intellectual disability (mental
retardaon), moderate to
severe developmental delay,
muscular dystrophy, or spinal
cord injury]
§ Chronic lung disease (such as
cysc brosis)
§ Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease,
congesve heart failure and coronary artery disease
§ Blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease)
§ Endocrine disorders (such as diabetes mellitus)
§ Kidney disorders
§ Liver disorders
§ Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic
disorders and mitochondrial disorders)
§ Weakened immune system due to disease or
medicaon (such as children or adolescents with
HIV or AIDS, cancer, or those on chronic steroids)
§ Children who are taking aspirin or salicylate-
containing medicines
§ Extreme obesity, which has been associated with
severe inuenza illness in some studies of adults,
may also be a risk factor for children. Childhood
obesity is dened as a body mass index (BMI) at
or above the 95th percenle, for age and sex.
What are signs and symptoms of u?
Signs and symptoms of u can include fever, cough,
sore throat, runny or stuy nose, muscle or body
aches, headaches, feeling feverish/chills, fague
(redness), and somemes children may also have
voming and diarrhea. It is important to note that
some children who are sick with u may not
have a fever.
What is a u complicaon?
Most children who get u will recover in a few
days to less than 2 weeks, but some people will
develop complicaons (health problems such as
pneumonia) as a result of u, some of which can
be life-threatening.
Pneumonia, sinusis, and ear infecons are 3
examples of complicaons from u. Flu also can
make certain chronic health condions worse.
For example, people with asthma may experience
asthma aacks while they have u.
How can I protect my child against u?
The most important thing is for your child to get a u
vaccine every year. Children younger than 6 months
old are at higher risk of serious u illness, but are
too young to be vaccinated. People who care for
them and all household members aged 6 months
and older should be vaccinated.
In addion to geng a u vaccine, you and your child
should take everyday acons to help prevent the
spread of germs.
§ Stay away from people who are sick as much as
possible to keep from geng sick yourself. If you or
your child are sick, avoid others as much as possible
to keep from infecng them.
§ Remember to regularly cover your coughs and
sneezes, wash your hands oen, avoid touching
your eyes, nose and mouth, and clean surfaces that
may be contaminated with u viruses.
These everyday acons can help reduce your chances
of geng sick and prevent the spread of germs to
others if you are sick. However, a yearly u vaccine is
the best way to prevent u illness.
What can I do if my child gets sick?
§ Seek medical care: Call or take your child with
chronic health condions to a medical provider
as soon as possible if your child develops u
symptoms—they may want to begin treatment
with a u anviral drug. Anviral drugs are
prescripon medicines that ght against u in your
body. Anviral treatment works best when started
soon aer u illness begins, so don’t delay in
contacng your child’s health care provider if they
have symptoms that might be caused by u.
§ Stay at home: Keep your child at home, except for
medical visits, unl your child’s fever is gone for at
least 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing
medicaons).
§ Cover coughs: Ensure that your child covers coughs
and sneezes.
§ Encourage rest and uids: Make sure your child
gets plenty of rest and drinks uids to keep from
becoming dehydrated.
§ Ask about medicines: Ask your medical provider
about fever-reducing medicines based on your
child’s age. Children younger than 4 years old
should not be given over-the-counter cold or cough
medicines without approval from a health care
provider. Aspirin should not be given to children or
teenagers who have u; this can cause a rare but
serious illness called Reye syndrome.
§ Protect those at higher risk of u complicaons:
Pregnant people, adults 65 years and older, and
people with immunosuppression or chronic health
condions are at higher risk for u complicaons,
and should get a u shot as the best protecon
against u. If possible, those who are at higher risk
should not be the main caregiver of a child with
u. Addionally, infants younger than 6 months old
are too young to be vaccinated. The best way to
protect infants is to make sure the people around
them are vaccinated.
