Pumpkins, Costumes and Candy, Oh My!

Halloween is a great time for kids of all ages. For parents of young children, it’s a time to really think about guarding your child’s safety in numerous ways.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Youth Safety Lab has researched and suggested the following four safety tips while participating in the fun activities of the holiday.

1. Pumpkin Carving – It is important that if you plan to carve a pumpkin and insert candles inside that young children do not use sharp instruments or matches. While that seems like common sense, hundreds of injuries occur annually while pumpkin carving with stab wounds to the fingers and palms being the most common. According to the Somers Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Group in Carmel, NY, every year puncture wounds have caused significant damage to tendons, nerves or arteries simply from trying to carve a pumpkin.

For children, it is important to get them involved but keeping them away from the dangers. It might be best to have an older teen or adult carve the pumpkin and allow the younger ones to scoop out the seeds and pulp. Another suggestion is to paint or color the pumpkin rather than carving it. Many retail stores carry kits for painting or drawing on pumpkins as decorations rather than the traditional carving.

2. Halloween Costumes – Children should not wear any costume that restricts their vision or their breathing. This means full-face covering masks can be a safety hazard. Not only does this limit the child’s ability to see while walking in the dark but some of those significantly restrict breathing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends that any accessories such as swords or wands should be short, soft and flexible. Children could easily swing these accessories and injure themselves or another child.

Also, make-up should be tested first on a small area on the skin to test for irritation. If the surface turns red or causes a rash, you do not want to use it on your child.

Furthermore, many costumes are not flame resistant – in fact many are highly flammable.  Recent research discovered that various dangerous chemicals have been discovered in both costumes and trick-or-treat bags. The study tested 106 Halloween related products from costumes to decorations and found lead, flame retardants, tin compounds and phthalates in these products. These chemicals are linked to asthma, reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities and cancer. The website www.healthystuff.org posted a list last week of the specific products that contain these dangerous chemicals.

3. Trick-or-Treating – It is highly recommended that children wear something reflective or even a light on their costume somewhere so that they are visible to drivers. Teach your children to look both ways before crossing the street; do not allow your child to just run from house to house without concern over traffic.

Avoid trick-or-treating alone as it is never safe. This particular holiday is a prevalent time for lurkers, stalkers and kidnappers. Make sure you stay with your child. Large groups are also a good idea for neighborhood trick-or-treating.

4. Candy – Always examine all treats for choking hazards and tampering before allowing your child to consume their treats. Furthermore, eat only factory-wrapped treats and avoid homemade treats that were made by strangers. While healthy, fruit obtained from trick-or-treating should be thrown away. It is hard to tell if there were objects or something injected into the fruit; therefore, the safest thing to do is toss it.

Following these four safety tips should ensure and safe and fun holiday for you and your family. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Works used to compile this article:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Halloween Health and Safety Tips. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/

Chambers, J. (2014). Tips to keep children safe as they enjoy Halloween candy, costumes and trick or treating. Retrieved from http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2014/10/post_128.html

Consumer Reports. (2011). Safe Halloween pumpkin carving. Retrieved from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/10/safe-halloween-pumpkin-carving/index.htm

HealthyStuff.org. (2014). Hidden dangerous chemicals in popular Halloween costumes and “Trick or Treat” bags. Retrieved from http://www.healthystuff.org/get-stuff.php?report=Hidden+Dangerous+Chemicals+in+Popular+Halloween+Costumes+and+%22Trick+or+Treat%22+Bags

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2014). Halloween food safety tips for parents. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm187021.htm

Why Get a Flu Shot?

Despite the fact that the influenza virus can kill, many people still opt out of the vaccination. The critical point here is that they would rather succumb to severe illness and possibly death than simply get their arm pricked with a needle.

Of course, there are some who are allergic to eggs, which the vaccine comprises, so for those people, it makes sense to opt out. For the rest, there is no good reason to refuse the immunization. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, annual deaths from influenza have reached close to 49,000 people in recent years – most of which were 65 and older.

How does the vaccine work? The CDC explains the process on its website, but in brief, the vaccine causes the body to create antibodies for about two weeks after the inoculation. These antibodies then provide protection against the influenza virus that is included in the vaccine. There are two types of shots: trivalent and quadrivalent. The traditional shot is trivalent and protects against three strains: two influenza A viruses: H1N1 and H3N2, and one influenza B virus. The quadrivalent protects you from those three plus a second influenza B strain.

It is recommended that most people 18 and older receive the standard dose of the trivalent flu shot with people age 65 and older receiving a higher dose of the same vaccine. The quadrivalent flu shot is recommended for children and youth up through age 17. In particular, the quadrivalent nasal spray version is highly recommended for healthy children ages 2 through 8.

The point of the different vaccine for children is to provide far more assistance in their bodies, whose immune systems are still developing. Likewise, senior citizens need the extra protection because their immune systems are comprised simply through the aging process.

The best time to get vaccinated is now. The flu season typically begins in October and can run through May. The peak time for the virus is January and February. You want to make sure you are protected before the virus peaks in activity. The benefits of the vaccination are great:

1. It protects you from the flu but also protects those around you who may be more vulnerable to the influenza virus

2. Older adults who chronic health conditions and young children have far better protection from becoming seriously ill from the flu

3. The vaccine may make your illness milder if you do get sick

4. It will reduce your risk of the more serious outcomes from influenza such as hospitalization or death

Recent studies found that the vaccine reduced the risk of flu-related hospitalizations by 74% in children and 71% in adults. Also, the vaccine has been shown to reduce hospitalizations among those with diabetes and chronic lung disease by 79% and 52%, respectively.

You are encouraged to talk with your doctor about the influenza shot and which version is best for you. You could also reach out to the local health department, and some pharmacies offer the influenza vaccine as well. Regardless, get the vaccination. You won’t regret it.

People who should not be vaccinated

The biggest reason for not getting a flu shot is because of an egg allergy. However, there are other people who should not get the vaccine:

1. Children under 6 months old are far too young to handle the flu shot

2. People with life-threatening allergies to other ingredients in the vaccine such as gelatin or antibiotics

People who should not get the nasal spray vaccine:

1. Children under 2 years old

2. Adults 50 and older

3. People with severe allergies to the ingredients

4. Children or adolescents (2-17) who are on a long-term aspirin regimen

5. Pregnant women

6. People with suppressed immune systems

7. Children ages 2-4 who suffer from asthma

8. People who have taken influenza antiviral drugs within the previous 48 hours

9. People with severely compromised immune systems that require protective environments