HOW DOES THE INFLUENZA

VIRUS AFFECT CHILDREN?

JASMINE ESPINOZA
INDEPENDENT STUDY MENTORSHIP- SPRING 2018
MRS. CLICK
THIS IS A
D I S C L A I M E R T H AT
SOME OF THE
I N F O R M AT I O N I S
FROM OUTSIDE
SOURCES.
JEAN MCATEE, MD

Mentorship Site:
•  League City, 6465 South Shore Blvd, League City, TX 77573
Mentor’s place of business:
•  UTMB Health Pediatric and Adult Primary Care
Mentor’s Profession:
•  General Pediatrician, MD

https://www.utmbhealth.com/servicelines/primarycare/papc-leaguecity
WHAT IS ISM?

What is ISM?
v ISM (Independent Study Mentorship) is a course in
which a student accompanies a mentor in their selected
field of study as the mentor performs their daily job
functions. In return, the student attains a snap shot of
what is required to perform their future job selection.
Course Requirements?
v Each week a journal entry is due, 3 hours of mentorship
hours, as well as 2 activity hours. Another requirement is
to have an online portfolio to show all of the course
work completed. My portfolio is available for viewing at
https://www.jasmineespinozanewism.weebly.com.

https://giphy.com/explore/question-mark
MY PROJECT
TOPIC
•  My project topic is how does the
influenza virus affect children. I’ll
be discussing what the flu is, how
you can contract it, what it can
do to children's health, and much
more.
•  I chose my topic because the flu
recently has been going around a
lot and more and more kids are
dying from the flu. I wanted to
educate myself about what really
goes on during the flu and the
process of contamination.
W H A T T H E F L U R E A L L Y I S :
I N F L U E N Z A I S A V I R A L I N F E C T I O N T H AT AT TA C K S
YO U R R E S P I R ATO RY S Y S T E M — YO U R N O S E , T H RO AT
AND LUNGS.
A LITTLE VIDEO

https://youtu.be/Rpj0emEGShQ
DIAGNOSIS

The pediatrician check if the child has the flu by

doing a:
•  Swab test
•  Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests (RIDTs)
They also check for signs and symptoms of the flu,
and high temperature. They can also use their clinical
judgment

http://photos2.fotosearch.com/bthumb/CSP/CSP873/
diagnose-word-on-a-red-round-button-to-stock-
illustration__k17449156.jpg
SYMPTOMS

•  F E V E R ( A T E M P E R AT U R E O F
100.4°F OR HIGHER)
•  C O U G H
•  S O R E T H R O AT
•  R U N N Y O R S T U F F Y N O S E
•  B O DY A C H E S
•  H E A D A C H E
•  C H I L L S
•  S T O M A C H U P S E T, V O M I T I N G
OR DIARRHEA.

https://media.istockphoto.com/vectors/cold-symptoms-of-girl-vector-
id619052456?
k=6&m=619052456&s=612x612&w=0&h=9rlgdQXzYb2ynI-0m6SLrQ7XCyTI3
F3sAf8wLJL6CFU=
CURRENT EVENT
•  The article that I read, talks about the
epidemic of children dying from the flu,
even though they can be completely
healthy.
•  The did a study on baby mice and adult
mice. In the baby mice it showed that the
flu was fatal, if they didn’t get injected
with the vaccine before contracting the
virus. For the adult mice when they were
injected nothing fatal happened, they
recovered quickly.
CONT.

•  “This review also indicated that 60 percent

of deaths occurred in children who were
at high risk of developing serious flu-
related complications, but 40 percent of
these children had no recognized chronic
health problems. The proportions of
pediatric deaths occurring in children who
were unvaccinated and those who had
high-risk conditions are consistent with
what has been seen in previous seasons.”
CONT.

•  “According to the CDC, there have been

84 pediatric deaths since the deadly virus
began wreaking havoc on the U.S. in early
October—22 of which occurred in the
same week—but the most disturbing
detail is that many of those children were
otherwise healthy”.
•  It basically showed how adult’s immune
systems fight off the flu vs. children who
don’t have a very strong immune system.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/01/12/17/4811DFAD00000578-5263367-
image-a-1_1515777550646.jpg
HOW THE FLU AFFECTS
TODDLERS

Physically:
•  For children it can affect them
physically by having difficulty eating or
they refuse to drink, being fussy or
they will not smile or play for more
than 4 hours, also they can have
difficulty breathing or make a
"whistling" sound when breathing.
CONT.

Emotionally:
•  Children that contract the flu aren’t
allowed to go out or play with the other
kids because, they are contagious and can
spread the virus since the virus is
airborne. It can effect them emotionally
because they would feel isolated.

http://ak5.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/6178475/thumb/1.jpg
FLU SHOTS

•  An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best

way to reduce your risk of getting sick with
seasonal flu and spreading it to others. When
more people get vaccinated against the flu,
less flu can spread through that community.
•  If you were to get the flu before getting a flu
shot chances are that you would feel way
worse vs. getting the flu after the vaccine
the symptoms wont be as bad.
•  Flu shots also build children’s immune
systems.
PRODUCT
•  For my product I made a
game board over my
PowerPoint and facts over
the flu. It’s like monopoly,
what ever number you get
you have to answer a
question from a category
that you would like. If you
get it right you may move
that many spaces.
CONCLUSION

•  I learned different tips and tricks on

how to deal with kids as patients, and
what it takes to become a
pediatrician.
•  I also learned how to be patient with
kids, and what the markers on the
doors mean
THANK YOU!
•  Thank you Dr. McAtte for
letting me shadow you and for
taking the time out of your day
to come watch my presentation.
Thank you Mrs.Yocum, and Mrs.
Welch for evaluating my project.
Thank you Mrs. Click for
accepting me into ISM and giving
me the opportunity to work
with a pediatrician (my dream
career). Thank you ma & dad for
supporting me throughout this
mentorship experience. And
thanks Alyssa for being my ISM
buddy.
WORKS CITED

•  “Influenza (Flu).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 8 Feb. 2018, www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/infantcare.htm.
•  LeClair, Lisa René. “Why Are So Many Healthy Kids Dying from the Flu?” Why Are So Many
Healthy Kids Dying From the Flu?, 21 Feb. 2018, mom.me/news/215457-why-are-so-many-healthy-
kids-dying-flu/.
•  Staff, Mayo Clinic. “Influenza (Flu).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and
Research, 5 Oct. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/symptoms-causes/
syc-20351719.
•  “Vaccines and Side Effects: The Facts.” HealthyChildren.org, 21 Nov. 2015, healthychildren.org/
English/safety-prevention/immunizations/Pages/Vaccines-And-Side-Effects-The-Facts.aspx.