Flu season is upon us and many medical professionals are advocating that children (well, anyone under 25 including college students who are in close proximity to others in their living spaces), get the H1N1 or "swine flu" vaccine.

For children, who are espcecially susecptible to swine flu and severe complcications including death, health authorities urge parents to seek immediate help if emergency warning signs develop. In children, these are:

- Fast or troubled breathing.
- Bluish skin color.
- Lack of thirst.
- Failure to wake up easily or interact.
- Irritability so that the child does not want to be held.
- Improvement of symptoms, then a return to fever and worse cough.
- Fever with a rash.

Parents should also seek medical help if flu symptoms develop in children most vulnerable to flu complications: those younger than 5 or with high-risk conditions, including asthma and other lung problems; cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other neurological diseases; heart, kidney or liver problems and diabetes.

For more information on H1N1 or the swine flu, go to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) H1N1:

Children K-12 http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/
College and University Students http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/institutions/
Parents and Caregivers http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/parents/
Pregnant Women http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pregnancy/