A campaign titled “Don’t Let the Flu Spoil the Party” aims to raise awareness among parents, educators, and caregivers about the impact of flu on children and adolescents, encouraging preventive behaviors such as hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and ventilation of closed spaces.
Initiators of the campaign state that 88% of flu-related hospitalizations in children under five in Portugal occur in healthy children.
“Although in most cases the flu progresses favorably, children are at risk of developing bacterial complications such as acute otitis media, sinusitis, and pneumonia, which contribute to increased antibiotic prescriptions,” they highlight.
They further note that about 70% of emergency episodes due to flu syndrome recorded at the start of the 2024 flu season occurred in children and adolescents, “highlighting the significant burden of this disease in this population.”
The organizations emphasize that “pediatric flu is not only a clinical issue; it is also a social and economic challenge.”
“Children are five times more likely to contract flu outside the household and twice as likely to transmit it within the home, resulting in an estimated 195 workdays lost for every 100 children under three years old,” they explain.
The campaign’s mascot, Viroco, “the party spoiler specialist,” features in campaign materials, inviting parents and children to test their knowledge on pediatric flu and to adopt simple measures to prevent virus spread in a playful and educational manner.
This year, the campaign takes on a multiplatform format with presence on radio, in print, on social media, and on the website www.gripeinfantil.pt, where practical information, interactive tests, and expert-validated advice can be found.
“This comprehensive presence is intended to reach families with clear, practical, and accessible information, debunking myths about pediatric flu and promoting preventive behaviors such as hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, and ventilation of closed spaces,” they underscore.
The campaign is the result of collaboration between the National Association of Pharmacies, the National Association of Public Health Physicians, the Portuguese Association of Primary Care Nurses, the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, the Association of Community Care Units, Portuguese Pharmacies, the Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology, and AstraZeneca.
