Your flu season plan, written in September
Timing the vaccine
Early autumn is the sweet spot. It gives the immune response the couple of weeks it needs to develop before the season builds, without the protection fading before the season ends.
If you miss that window, vaccinate anyway. A vaccine in December is far better than no vaccine, and flu seasons frequently run well into spring.
Who should have one
Everyone from six months of age upward, every year. Children under nine getting their first ever flu vaccine need two doses about four weeks apart, which is worth planning for.
It matters most for children with asthma or other chronic conditions, and for anyone in the house who is around a baby too young to be vaccinated themselves. Vaccinating the adults is genuinely how you protect the newborn.
When to keep them home
The practical rule is 24 hours fever-free without paracetamol or ibuprofen doing the work. A child who is only comfortable because they were medicated an hour ago is still infectious and still miserable.
That rule is often inconvenient and it is the single most effective thing you can do to stop the rest of the class, and then the rest of your household, getting it.
Stopping it spreading at home
Complete separation is unrealistic with children and not worth attempting. What does help is not sharing cups and towels, washing hands after contact, and keeping the unwell child out of the shared bed if you can manage it.
Ventilation helps more than most people expect. Opening a window for a few minutes several times a day is easy and effective.
Antivirals, and the 48-hour window
Antiviral medication can shorten flu and reduce complications, but essentially only if started within roughly 48 hours of symptoms beginning. After that the benefit falls away sharply.
That narrow window is exactly why we hold same-day slots. If your child has a sudden high fever with aches and exhaustion during flu season, call that day rather than waiting to see how it goes.
Have the plan before you need it
Decide now who can take a day off, where the thermometer lives, and whether you have working supplies of children's paracetamol and ibuprofen in date.
Every one of those decisions is easier in September than at 6am on a school morning with a feverish child and a meeting you cannot move.
This is general information, not advice about your own child. If something here raises a question, ask us at your next visit or call the office. That conversation is what we are for.