There’s nothing quite like the heart-wrenching feeling of seeing your child ill. We know many Cumming parents trust our team at Vickery Pediatrics to see children for sick visits, especially with winter weather right around the corner. But did you know that maintaining a regular check-up schedule at our pediatric clinic can minimize the need for sick visits? Today we’re discussing how this is possible.
The Flu Often Affects Children the Hardest Each Year
It’s estimated that each year, children are the most likely to get the flu. In fact, they are actually twice as likely as senior adults to get a flu virus. Countless days of school and extracurricular activity time are lost to illness. This of course affects the whole family, and can spread to infect other members as well. This is one of the reasons why vaccines are important for your child’s health.
With its longer recovery time, an active flu infection can last from 3–7 days, and symptoms such as coughing and fatigue may last even longer than that. While children might get restless and want to return to school and activities, it’s imperative they remain at home until at least 24 hours have passed without a fever (without the aid of medication). But how can regular visits to your pediatric clinic help with this?
How Can Regular Pediatric Check-Ups Protect Kids From Flu?
While cold and flu season are associated with fall and winter, the flu can occur at any time of year. This means the timing of regular check-ups with your child’s pediatric primary care doctor can be scheduled at any time of year. A few ways these visits help protect your child from the flu are listed below.
Up-to-Date Vaccinations
As we said before, vaccines are a key part of a healthy life for your child. Follow the regular vaccine schedule to ensure you’re doing what you can to protect your child from a range of illnesses, and getting the annual flu shot should be part of this.
Awareness and Education
The flu isn’t the only virus in the air. Your pediatrician can help you understand which symptoms to look for with other viruses such as the common cold, COVID-19, RSV or pneumonia. In addition to vaccination, there are many steps families can take to prepare and protect against them. You can learn about diet, supplementation and hygiene tips to stay healthy.
Early Detection
Regular visits keep the doctor aware of how your child is developing, and can help them identify when something like the flu or another illness is occurring. While the flu is known for its intense symptoms, they don’t always follow that pattern, and children can be asymptomatic. Regular visits also help your child build a healthy relationship with their pediatric primary care doctor.
Set Up Pediatric Check-Ups to Combat Flu Season Illness
At Vickery Pediatrics, it is our joy and honor to keep the youngest Georgians healthy and well. We see children from newborn to young adulthood, and are ready to administer all necessary vaccines to keep the cold and flu at bay this season. We serve families in Cumming, Buford, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and across Forsyth County. Call us today at (678) 990-2501 or request an appointment.
