How To Stay Ahead Of Flu Season This Year

If you've never had the flu, consider yourself lucky. Anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of people in the U.S. come down with influenza each year, and it can make people of any age sick.

The flu is a respiratory tract infection that's caused by a virus. Although it does spread very easily, there are some key things you can do to protect yourself from getting sick.

What Causes The Flu?

Viruses like the flu are generally passed from person to person through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. The virus can also live for a short time on surfaces and objects like doorknobs and phones. Because of this, you can get the flu by touching something that's been recently handled by someone infected with the virus and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes.

To prevent the spread of the flu, it's important to practice good health habits. These include:

• Washing your hands — Regular, frequent hand washing with soap and hot water or an alcohol hand gel (containing at least 60 percent alcohol) can help protect you from germs.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth — If you touch a surface that's been recently handled by someone infected with the flu and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you may become infected yourself.
• Covering your mouth and nose — When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. This can help prevent those around you from getting sick as well.
• Avoiding close contact — Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you're sick, do the same to prevent others from getting sick.
• Staying home when you're sick — If you've got the flu, do your best to stay home from work, school and other errands. This can help prevent others from catching your illness.
• Getting a flu shot — According to the Centers for Disease Control, recent studies show that flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40 and 60 percent among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine. How well the flu vaccine works can range widely from season to season.

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Who Should Get A Flu Shot?

The flu shot is a vaccine containing an inactivated flu virus based on the strain that research suggests will be most prominent that season. It's usually injected into the arm and is approved for use with people older than six months of age, including healthy individuals and those with chronic medical conditions.

There's also a nasal-spray flu vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu. This vaccine is approved for healthy people from 5 to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

For the 2018-2019 flu season, the CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older with an approved, age-appropriate flu vaccine. There are many vaccine options to choose from; the most important thing is for all people 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine every year.

Some people should not be vaccinated without consulting a physician first, though. These include:

• People with a severe allergy to chicken eggs
• People who have had a severe reaction a flu vaccination before
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome within six weeks of getting a previous influenza vaccine.
• People under 6 months of age
• People who have an illness with a fever — they should wait until their symptoms lessen to get vaccinated

If you have questions about which vaccine is best for you, talk to your doctor or other health care professional.

According to the CDC, the best time to get a flu shot is in October or November. Flu season usually peaks between January and March, and it usually takes about two weeks after being vaccinated for the antibodies to begin providing protection against the influenza virus.

Banner Health makes it convenient and easy to get a flu shot at any one of their urgent care locations. Appointments are not required, but you can reserve a spot online to minimize your waiting time. Most patients are in and out of Banner Urgent Care within an hour.

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Flu Symptoms

Although the flu is called a respiratory disease, it can affect your entire body. Different people may experience symptoms differently, but most become very ill with several or all of the following symptoms:

• High fever
• Chills
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Body ache
• Extreme exhaustion
• Fatigue for several weeks
• Headache
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Sore throat

Initial flu symptoms are often confused with the start of a cold. According to the CDC, sneezing, a stuffy nose and sore throat are all common with a cold, but experiencing chills, fever or headaches is rare. Cold symptoms typically have a more gradual onset while flu symptoms tend to come on abruptly.

When To Seek Medical Care

Most people will recover from flu in a few days and won't need a visit to their health care provider. In these cases, the best thing you can do is stay home, get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids.

Those who are at a higher risk for flu complications may need to see their primary care provider or seek treatment from an urgent care center or the emergency room.

Contact your health care provider or go to the nearest emergency room if you're experiencing any of the following potentially life-threatening symptoms:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness, confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu symptoms that initially improve, but then return with cough and fever

Infants with bluish or gray skin color, a lack of responsiveness or extreme irritability should be taken to an emergency department immediately.

Note: If you have a medical emergency, please call 911.

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More From Banner Health:

• Fight The Flu
  
• Health Tip: Flu Shot 101
  
• When To Seek Medical Care If You Have The Flu
  
• When Your Child Has A Cold Or Flu
  

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