Each winter brings the bitter reality of another cold and flu season. Colder weather ushers in new and old strains of respiratory viruses, making immunity virtually impossible.

"It is true that if you get one of these viruses your next illness with this infection should not be as severe," says Dr. Casey Drake, a pediatrician on the medical staff at Children's Medical Center Dallas and assistant professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern.

"It's really a misconception that these very contagious viruses are spread mainly through the air," Dr. Drake says. "Most respiratory viruses are spread by hand contact between people, though the influenza viruses are spread primarily through respiratory droplet transmission (for example, when an infected person coughs or sneezes close to an uninfected person)."

Reduce the spread of germs
Frequent hand washing and not rubbing the eyes, nose and mouth will reduce the chances of getting sick.

"Remind your child to minimize the spread of germs by covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, followed by hand washing before touching other people or toys," Dr. Drake says. Parents should teach children the importance of quickly discarding used tissues.

Cold or flu?
Cold viruses generally cause discomfort in the form of runny noses, milder coughs and upper-respiratory congestion. Some of these viruses can cause more serious problems in infants. Since viruses spread these diseases, antibiotics (used to fight bacterial infections) will do nothing to cure the illnesses. Medications can only help minimize the symptoms while the virus runs its course.

Influenza, commonly referred to as the "flu," is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory system that usually occurs between late November and early spring. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as "stomach flu," Dr. Drake says. "Some people just call every winter viral illness the flu." While some of the symptoms of influenza may cause nausea or vomiting, these are not the main symptoms.

Real influenza begins suddenly with symptoms that include headache, chills, muscle aches and high fever that may last from five to seven days. A sore throat, followed by a cough develops around the fourth or fifth days. The infection can then spread to the lungs, where it poses the greatest risk.

Treatment
Treatment of flu symptoms consists of rest, fluids and fever-reducing drugs. Aspirin should not be given to patients with influenza due to the increased risk of developing Reye syndrome.

There are different strains of influenza, and all have the ability to make major and minor changes in their structure. This makes it impossible to build immunity to the influenza virus or for infectious disease specialists to produce a foolproof vaccine. Regardless, vaccination against the flu is the best prevention and is recommended for high-risk patients, such as children with lung, blood, kidney and immune diseases. The decision to vaccinate your child should remain a mutual decision between you and your child's pediatrician.

Vaccination is the primary strategy for preventing complication of the influenza virus. "The flu vaccine can be given to anyone 6 months of age and older, as long as they do not have a known severe egg allergy" Dr. Drake says. "However, the shot must be administered as two immunizations for children under the age of 9 years who are receiving influenza vaccination for the first time." Antiviral medications with activity against the influenza virus can be effective for the prevention and treatment of influenza if taken in a timely manner, but require a prescription from a licensed medical provider.

Parents should seek medical attention when a child develops a high fever, has trouble breathing or is not drinking or urinating normally. Count the number of times your child breathes during a 30-second resting period. Report this count to your pediatrician.

Other signs of labored breathing are flaring nostrils or seeing the child's ribs as he takes in air. A persistent cough that keeps your child awake or causes discomfort is another reason to call your pediatrician.