It's wintertime, which means lots of colds and flu. Particularly if you've got kids in school and child care. By the time June kicks in, colds and flu are nicely settled into most child care centres, with the annual round of spluttering, wheezing, coughing, crying etc, and that's just the parents.

Common questions around the flu are: What is flu? Is it preventable or treatable? What's the difference between a cold and flu? How dangerous is the flu? Should you get the flu jab for your kids?

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is caused by a virus and mainly spreads from person to person through the air by coughing, sneezing or talking, and by touching a person's hands, surface or object.

The flu virus infects the respiratory system such as the nose, throat and sometimes your lungs. It differs from a cold as symptoms such as fever, sore throat and muscle aches develop suddenly and last about a week.

Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can cause complications such as pneumonia and bronchitis, which require hospitalisation. Sometimes these complications can lead to death, particularly in very young children or those with particular medical conditions, such as pregnant women, children aged 6 months to under 5 years, people aged 65 years of age and older, very obese people or people with underlying medical conditions which affect the heart or respiratory systems or who have weakened immune systems, which may be caused by cancers, HIV/AIDS or certain medications.

Those children and adults should be vaccinated every year, because flu can also make some underlying medical conditions worse. Flu viruses are continually circulating in the community and continually changing, so immunity from the vaccine does not last a long time.

Symptoms – what to look out for and when to act

Symptoms of flu most commonly include a fever combined with a cough and/or sore throat – pretty much the same as a bad cold – and generally there's not much more. However, for children, warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin colour (lack of oxygen)
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash
• Persistent vomiting

How can you prevent flu?

Well you can't entirely. But you can adopt good hygiene methods to lower the risk of contagion and try to teach them to your little ones early on:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Throw tissues in the bin after you use them.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with people who have a flu-like illness.
• If you have a flu-like illness, stay home from work or school and limit contact with other people to keep from infecting them.

Things You Should Know About the Flu Vaccine

1. There is no live virus in the flu vaccine.
2. The composition of the vaccine changes every year because the flu virus changes all the time.
3. The flu shot is safe for pregnant women at all stages of their pregnancy.
4. CSL Fluvax® is not recommended for children under 5 years of age.
5. Children with severe egg allergy should not receive the vaccine and parents should discuss this with their child's immunisation provider.
6. Fluvax is not registered for use in children less than 5 years of age. For children aged 5 to less than 10 years of age, it is recommended that Vaxigrip® and Influvac® is used.
7. Fluvax® may be used in children aged 5 years to less than 10 years when no alternative vaccine is readily available. If Fluvax® is administered parents should be informed of the potential risk of fever but that febrile convulsions are rare in this group.

For more information go to Department of Health Q&A for Influenza (flu) Vaccination 2013

You should always consult with your GP if considering a flu vaccine because the vaccine is not recommended for a number of chronic and other medical conditions.

The full ATAGI statement including the rationale for these recommendations is available here.