Swine flu guidelines

FRIDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) — Since children under the age of 5 are at particular risk for complications from the H1N1 swine flu, U.S. health officials issued new guidelines Friday designed to limit the spread of the virus in early childhood programs, such as day-care centers and Head Start programs.

“While we think everybody should take the flu seriously, children less than 5 years old are at high risk for complications from the flu,” U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said during a morning press conference. “Tragically, children do die, whether it’s H1N1 or seasonal flu”

Sebelius noted that the new H1N1 swine flu is “a young people’s disease,” that can spread quickly in schools and child-care settings. Children tend to share toys, cough and sneeze and not wash their hands, making early childhood programs a great incubator for these germs to spread rapidly,” she noted.

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