Dehydration occurs when the body loses more fluid than it is able to take in.
This is often accompanied by an imbalance of body salts such as potassium or sodium. In infants, failure to produce a wet diaper after 8 hours or a sunken soft spot on the top of the head are additional signs of dehydration. Dehydration is a particular threat to infants and small children, whose loss of fluids is greater in proportion to their body weight than older children. Also, they are unable to communicate their lack of fluids effectively. Flu season officially begins in October and runs through the following April.