(HealthDay News) - Children are in constant contact with germs, and can easily spread them to others. Flu is a particularly nasty nemesis, but it can be prevented.

Here are ways to help reduce your child's risk of getting the flu, courtesy of the Children's Hospital at the University of California, San Francisco:

• Flu vaccine is recommended for children aged 6 months to 23 months, and for children aged 2 and older who are at a high risk of contracting flu.
• Hand washing also is an easy way to help prevent flu. Your child should wash her hands thoroughly and frequently, with soap and warm water.
• Parents and caregivers should also should wash their hands often, and get a flu vaccine.
• Teach your child to cover her mouth when she coughs or sneezes, and to wash her hands afterward.
• Try to keep your child away from others who are sick. Keep her home from school if she has symptoms of a cold or the flu.