This is one in a series of QandAs about swine flu. You can send us questions at www.sunsentinel.com/swineflu. We cannot reply to all but will answer as many as possible.
How do I protect my new baby from swine flu?
Newborns have incomplete immune systems, putting them at higher risk for H1N1 flu virus. Babies under age 6 months cannot get flu vaccine, so the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says parents and siblings living with infants should get vaccinated. Caregivers of those babies are first in line for swine flu vaccine, as are children up to age 4.
If you get sick, try to stay away from the baby. Have a healthy person take over care duties. If you can't, consider wearing a surgical mask when in close contact with the baby. A blanket between mother and baby can block the virus. And of course, wash hands and keep them away from the mouth, eyes and nose.
Mothers should keep breast-feeding even if they get sick. Mother's milk is a baby's best food, filled with antibodies that can fight infections (unclear if it fights swine flu). The virus does not travel in mother's milk and it's OK to take flu medicine while nursing. If sick, express the milk and have others do the feeding.
For more, visit the CDC at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or call 800-232-4636, or the state Department of Health at www.myflusafety.com or 877-352-3581.
Bob LaMendola To see more of the Sun Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sun-sentinel.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.