As the flu season settles upon us, many daycare and child care centers across the country are bracing for possibly one of the worst flu seasons in history. With the seasonal and the H1N1 flu viruses (Swine Flu) children are at a particularly high risk for getting infected.

"Since the virus has emerged, we've seen a number of groups that are at higher risk for complications from H1N1, and these include children under five and, especially, children younger than two," says Bill Hall, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services. Daycare centers, school and other child care providers are expected to be hit especially hard this flu season.

As parents look for ways to help their children avoid contracting either strain of the flu, the area of child care is getting a lot of attention. Of the many choices for child care, having live in child care from an Au Pair is one of the safest ways to help your children avoid getting the flu.

One of the great advantages of having an Au Pair is that your children are cared for in your home, minimizing the exposure to germs and sicknesses. In daycare or childcare centers, your children are constantly exposed to other children who may be sick and even if they are not sick, they may be carriers of the germs and flu viruses.

In addition to children who are ill, toys, food and the daycare centers themselves are not always sanitary. Many young children love to bit and suck on everything they play with, leaving countless germs on each toy. The with flu season, daycare centers quickly turn to flu virus incubators.

To avoid sending your children to germ invested center, hoping that by some miracle they won't get sick, consider and Au Pair. Hosting an Au Pair gives families the peace of mind that their children will be cared for in a clean and sanitary environment, free of other children's germs. Because your Au Pair only takes care of your children, they can help keep them clean by helping wash their hands, by disinfecting toys, play surfaces and preparing germ free food.

Time Magazine recently posted a great article about how daycare centers are bracing for the flu season.

Read goAUPAIR’s blog post about how to avoid getting the flu or H1N1 virus for more information to help keep your kids safe during this flu season.

As many people begin to take precautions for the flu season, goAUPAIR wants to help keep Host Families, and Au Pairs as healthy as possible. Time Magazine just posted some great information about how to help your kids so they don't get the yearly or H1N1 flu.

The articles are entitled How Not to Get Sick and How Not to Get the H1N1 Flu. They give great tips and reminders of what to do to stay healthy this season.

Share your tips about how you stay healthy and avoid getting sick during the flu season by leaving a comment.

As a member of the World Youth Student & Educational Travel Confederation, goAUPAIR periodically receives critical updates regarding travel and international affairs. The WYSE Travel Confederation works with its members, sector associations and partners around the globe to:

• Promote the personal, social, economic and cultural benefits of youth travel, student travel and international education
• Support the development and success of student and youth travel specialists, and the critical role they play in a multi billion Euro global niche industry.
• Develop innovative travel and educational products & services for youth and students, such as the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), language study programmes, and work abroad experiences
• Provide trading, networking and knowledge-sharing platforms

As the H1N1 Virus is still a major concern for individuals across the globe, we wanted to share the following facts from the latest email from WYSETC.

Key facts:

1. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus will continue to spread globally in its current form – it is a mild influenza that has a very low fatality rate. The virus has caused severe and fatal illness in young and healthy people – but the number of such cases remains extremely small.

2. At this time the WHO reports that there are no variations of the virus reported.  No cases of a more serious virus have been detected and WHO continues to advise against any travel restrictions.     

3. Governments around the world are continuing their vigilance and planning in the event of a possibility of a stronger strain of the virus and/or a ‘second wave’ involving much higher infection rates amongst the population in the coming months.

4. In preparedness for a so called ‘second wave’ of the H1N1 pandemic, coinciding with the beginning of the flu season in the northern hemisphere, UNWTO held a two day review and preparation workshop in Madrid last week on ‘Travel and Tourism under Pandemic Conditions’.

5. The WHO confirmed that in tropical climates, where the virus had arrived later, authorities needed to prepare for a rise in the number of cases.

6. UNWTO stressed the importance of transparent, timely and consistent exchange of information amongst the different stakeholders of the industry as the pandemic evolves – a role which the TERN group will continue to perform.

7. It was recommended that countries should ensure that tourism is appropriately included in overall pandemic preparedness plans.

8. UNWTO also confirmed that active responses from the workshop in Madrid included considering, developing and sharing guidelines across the sector. A strategy for safely conducting meetings and gatherings - as well as planning for the impact of high absenteeism rates at airlines and other travel suppliers were discussed - should a stronger more infectious strain of the virus occur.  We will update members on any resulting new developments.

9. Some TERN members reported continued, disruptive screening and intervention from specific authorities – if any of our members encounter such restrictions – please do advise us and we will report them in the next TERN meeting.

You can also find more information about the H1N1 virus in the Swine Flu and Health Update released by goAUPAIR in April 2009.

April 30, 2009

In an industry which facilitates the cultural exchange of international young adults to live in the homes of U.S. families while providing child care, goAUPAIR is closely monitoring the developments of the recent Influenza A (H1N1) or Swine Flu outbreak to review the impacts, if any, on the Au Pair program.

In response to this event goAUPAIR has contacted all Au Pairs and International Representatives living abroad as well as Au Pairs, Host Families and Local Representatives here in the U.S. to encourage everyone to follow all precautionary measures as advised by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and to seek medical attention if they experience any flu-like symptoms.

At this time goAUPAIR is not aware of any negative impacts to the Au Pair Program from the outbreak other than delays in obtaining visas in Mexico due to Consulate closures. The U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey suspended all non-immigrant visa appointments to comply with Mexican government measures to limit the congregation of large crowds. The consulate plans to resume visa and other consular operations on Wednesday, May 6th and provided information for the rescheduling of appointments.
http://monterrey.usconsulate.gov/

Both goAUPAIR and our International Affiliates in Mexico are hopeful the situation will return to normal. goAUPAIR’s International Representative in Monterrey provided a firsthand update on the situation. Alberto commented:

goAUPAIR will continue to monitor the situation and provide information regarding any impacts this has on the Au Pair program. For the most up-to-date information on the Swine Flu, please visit www.cdc.gov.