Although swine flu never really seemed to go away since it began last spring, as we continued to see a small number of cases all summer, after a big peak in swine flu cases last fall, we finally saw a decline in flu activity.

Surprisingly, we didn't see the official end of the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic until August 10, 2010, with a declaration from the World Health Organization.

Flu Confusion

The early flu cases this year brought a lot of confusion for parents. In addition to being confused about the different strains of flu that your kids can catch, seasonal flu vs. H1N1 swine flu, and the different flu vaccines that your kids should get, parents were confused about just how concerned they should be.

Experts learned a lot about swine flu since the original swine flu hype that led to school closings last year. One of the most important things they learned is that the H1N1 swine flu strain of the flu doesn't seem to cause more severe flu cases in most children. Instead, the main concern was that since it is a new flu strain, many more kids would get sick with this flu strain than in a typical flu season. In fact, some experts predicted that up to 30 to 50% of Americans could get sick with swine flu year vs. the 20% that get the flu in a typical flu season.

Although most kids have mild swine flu symptoms, that doesn't mean that the H1N1 swine flu is something to ignore. After all, there were at least 341 pediatric deaths in the United States from swine flu since the swine flu pandemic began.

Flu Season Questions and Answers

Getting some answers to common questions about this year's flu season should help you understand how to best care for your child, avoid the flu, and avoid the hype:

1) Can my kids still get swine flu?

Even though the WHO declared an end to the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic, experts think that the 2009 H1N1 virus will continue to circulate for several years in a seasonal pattern, without the outbreaks we saw during the pandemic. Fortunately, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus strain is now in the regular flu vaccine that all kids should get, so kids will be protected from swine flu if they get a flu shot.

2) How many flu shots will my kids need?

Since the regular flu vaccine now provides protection against the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus, there will be no need for a separate swine flu vaccine this year.

Some kids will still need at least two doses of the flu vaccines this year, including all kids under age nine years who are getting a flu vaccine for the first time and those kids who didn't get at least one dose of the swine flu vaccine last year.

3) My child recently was diagnosed with the flu last year, did he have swine flu?

He almost certainly did have the H1N1 strain of flu or swine flu if he had the flu last year, since there were few seasonal flu strains circulating last year.

4) What are the symptoms of the swine flu?

Swine flu symptoms are the same as regular flu symptoms and can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some kids with swine flu also have diarrhea and vomiting, which is less likely with seasonal flu.

5) Is there a treatment for the swine flu?

While the anti-viral flu medications Tamiflu and Relenza are available to treat the H1N1 strain of flu, experts recommend that they only be used for high risk patients. This is to help reduce the chance that the swine flu virus will build up a resistance to these medications, like we already saw with the seasonal flu virus and Tamiflu last year. So your child will likely only get treated with Tamiflu if he has a chronic medical condition, like asthma or diabetes, etc., if he is in the hospital, or if he is under age five years old.

6) Are they going to close schools or day care centers because of swine flu this year?

Parents can expect far fewer school closings because of swine flu this year. The CDC states that school closings might be considered if there is excessive absenteeism among students or staff at a school or if the outbreak becomes more severe.

7) How do I help my kids avoid the flu?

In addition to getting them their seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 swine flu vaccine, you can help your kids avoid the flu by encouraging them to wash their hands often, avoiding kids who are sick with the flu (keep your kids home if they have the flu), and teach them to avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth, so they don't help flu germs get into their body.

While swine flu isn't something to be overly scared of, it also isn't something to ignore.

It is likely best to balance some of the 'media hype' that comes through now and then with some healthy respect for a virus that is likely going to a very long cold and flu season.

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