The flu season is definitely heating up, as some local schools are already seeing partial closures due to cases of the flu. The local government has started a massive campaign to vaccinate the most needy Beijingers (see article below). Note that this is the regular flu vaccine, not the H1N1 vaccine, which is not yet available for the masses.
Also, China media says TCM helps with the flu, although the article doesn’t specify which medicine may help. There are a lot of natural ways to counter the flu, like chicken soup, vitamin C and zinc, among many other ways.
Article: Free flu vaccinations to be provided to 1.8 mln residents in Beijing_English_Xinhua .
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I'm curious. How does chicken soup help to counter the flu? I'd also like to know how safe flu vaccines are for young children. Are they given a smaller dose than adults? My children are six and three.
Chicken soup has a couple research studies behind it that show an anti-inflammatory effect, as well as helping with nasal secretions. It’s only a couple studies but the findings are interesting. Perhaps it’s just the placebo effect, or just the warm vapors in the nose, or rehydration. Whatever reason, it seems to help a little!
The flu vaccine for kids is the same dose; kids under 9 who have never had a flu vaccine need 2 shots. That seems to be the case as well for the new H1N1 vaccine