How to Teach Kids about Swine Flu

Courtesy: Prakash Shanbagh

Nightly news updates, school closures and family discussions about the rapid spread of the Swine Flu (also known as the H1N1 flu infection) may lead to anxiety and undue stress in young children as they worry about the epidemic.

Use these tips to teach kids about Swine Flu to educate with unnecessarily alarming them.

Instructions

Teach kids about Swine Flu (H1N1) by letting them know that the outbreak is referred to as a health emergency so enough medicine (like Tamiflu or Relenza) will be allocated to areas that will possibly need it.
Compare the Swine Flu to a regular seasonal flu, but acknowledge that it’s more serious because it’s hitting its stride after the traditional flu season. It is a blend of three types of influenza (viruses that typically affect pigs, birds and people).
Stress that the Swine Flu is easily passed from person to person. Equip them with “tools” to help prevent getting sick. Teach kids about swine flu preventive measures like washing hands often. (You can also give them and their classroom an antibacterial hand sanitizer for use throughout the day.)
Instruct them to stop rubbing their eyes, touching their noses, putting fingers in their mouth. Complete “NO” to sharing drinks with other kids.
Educate your kids about H1N1 symptoms (such as fever, an achy body, a sore throat, runny nose and occasionally throwing up or stomach upset) to empower them since they’ll know what to look for. If your children are known to “adopt” symptoms after they hear about them, however, you may just want to assure them that you’ll check them for symptoms each night before bed as reassurance.
Let your children know that they should come to you with questions if their friends are discussing the Swine Flu or if something they see on television or read about on the Internet upsets them.
Look up information together on the computer, for example, if you don’t have the answers. Discussing it calmly (be sure to temper your own reactions to the “pig flu”) and supplying them with accurate information can make them feel confident and prepared.