Not too late to benefit from flu shot

Even the suggestion that an East Rockaway student may have died of influenza "B" last week makes me nervous for my children. Is it too late for a flu vaccine? Will this be another epidemic scare like swine flu?

Children should have a flu vaccine in September or October. But the season lasts through March or possibly mid-April, so for the unvaccinated it's worth getting one now, says Dr. Ronald Marino, associate chair of pediatrics at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola. The injection and FluMist version include the influenza "B" strain suspected in the child's death as well as influenza "A" and swine flu, he says.

Don't panic about an epidemic based on the ruling on this tragic death, he says. Unfortunately, children die every year nationwide from influenza, which is one reason pediatricians urge vaccination. But any time a child dies from a contagious, infectious disease, parents' anxiety soars, he says. Prudence can help ease fears. Practice good hygiene - wash hands frequently, avoid touching your face, eat right and get rest. "For every infectious disease, there's a balance between the host and the agent. The host is the person, the germ is the agent," Marino says. The better your health habits, the less likely it is you'll succumb, he says.

Symptoms of the flu include fever, head and muscle aches, congestion and coughing, Marino says. With the vaccine, "if you even get the flu, it will be a milder case," he says.