Your Pressing Flu Questions With Molly Lavoie, MPAS Of RediClinic

RediClinic is high-quality, convenient and affordable healthcare that fits your lifestyle. Located inside select Rite Aid Pharmacies and H-E-B grocery stores, their board-certified clinicians diagnose and treat more than 30 common medical conditions, and prescribe medications when appropriate. They also offer a broad range of preventive services including screenings, medical tests, immunizations and physical exams.

Patch caught up with Molly Lavoie, MPAS of RediClinic, to find out all of the answers to your pressing flu questions. Read on for more information:

Patch: How can you differentiate between the flu and a really bad cold?

Lavoie: This is a question we get all the time from our patients. Common colds and the flu are both contagious respiratory illnesses that share many of the same symptoms, such as:

• a cough
• sore throat
• runny nose
• head and body aches

However, one of the main differences between the two types of viruses lies in the onset of symptoms.

The common cold is caused by the rhinovirus, coronavirus, RSV, parainfluenza and other viruses. Symptoms tend to appear gradually and primarily involve the upper respiratory system, impacting the head, nose and throat. These symptoms may present as watery eyes, stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing, cough and headache. You may also experience mild fatigue or a slight fever, but these symptoms will be less severe compared to the flu. Symptoms tend to last a few days, and you generally can function with a cold.

The flu virus however, is a different animal. Flu symptoms often appear very quickly and are much more severe - you will likely have a high fever and feel exhausted for several days with body aches, chills and chest tightness–which are very common. While most people recover from the flu in a few days to 2 weeks, some people are at high risk for serious complications.

Some viruses, like the flu, are more likely to spread during cold weather. The flu is detected throughout the entire year in the US; however, it is most common during the winter months. It can be difficult to know for sure which viral infection you are suffering from, so I recommend patients schedule an appointment for an instant flu test to help identify if your viral infection is caused by an influenza virus.

Patch: When is a person with influenza infectious to others?

Lavoie: Typically, people sick with the flu are the most contagious within the first three to four days after their illness begins. But, the average healthy adult has the potential to infect others as soon as just one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick. Children and those with weaker immune systems can actually infect others as many as seven days after becoming ill. Because the flu virus is highly contagious, it’s extremely important, if you are sick with the flu, to stay away from highly populated places, like work, school, daycare (if you have children) and shopping malls.

Patch: What are the most common symptoms of the flu?

Lavoie: If you do in fact have the flu virus, typical symptoms you may experience are:

• High fever
• Fatigue
• Head and body aches
• Cough and/or chest tightness
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion
• Vomiting and diarrhea (more common in children)

Patch: In your opinion, what are the best ways to prevent the flu?

Lavoie: The single most effective way to protect yourself from the flu is to get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine every season. This preventive step is especially important for those at risk of serious complications from the flu, including children age 5 and younger, adults age 65 and older, pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions.

The flu spreads by droplets when people cough, sneeze or talk and can infect others up to six feet away! So things like covering coughs and sneezes with your sleeve help reduce the spread of germs. One of the most effective and simple ways to protect yourself from viruses, including the flu, is to wash your hands frequently –and remind the people around you to do the same. It’s also very important to make sure that you are getting enough rest and making healthy choices to give your body and immune system the energy it needs to fight off the infection.

Patch: Everyone has very busy schedules, especially as the holidays approach. How quickly should people schedule an appointment, after they start feeling sick?

Lavoie: As I mentioned, getting a flu shot is the first and most important step in protecting yourself, your family and your community during flu season. Getting your flu shot before the onset of influenza activity in your community is the best way to stay healthy. Flu activity can begin to increase as early as October and last as late as May, so it is important to schedule an appointment as soon as you start to feel under the weather.

If you begin to feel ill and suspect you may have the flu, it’s important to act quickly. Detecting symptoms of the flu and making an early diagnosis, gives you and your provider the option of adding an antiviral drug to your treatment plan. Antiviral drugs help reduce the duration and intensity of your symptoms and can even limit your ability to spread the virus to others.

Patch: Many people worry about the effectiveness of a flu shot. Does getting a flu vaccine too early in the season mean that people will not be protected later in the season?

Lavoie: The most common strains of the flu are included in the seasonal flu vaccine, but there are multiple factors that determine how well a flu vaccine works in a given season– including the age, health and other characteristics of the person being vaccinated, as well as the similarity between the flu viruses circulating in the community. So, while the time to become effective can vary from person to person, generally it takes approximately two weeks after vaccination for the body to develop antibodies that provide protection against flu viruses. I recommend my patients get a flu shot before flu season begins spreading in their communities, which is why it’s important to not delay immunization.

Flu shots are an especially vital step in protecting the health of patients at high risk or caretakers/family members of patients at high risk of complications.

Patch: If I still haven’t gotten my flu shot, is it too late?

Lavoie: It’s never too late to get your flu shot. At RediClinic, we recommend patients get their flu shots as early as October, but it is still not too late to get one now–especially since winter is here. As I mentioned before, flu viruses spread through the air. Droplets from a cough or sneeze can remain in the air longer when the air is cold and dry– which is why winter is prime time for flu germs to spread.

Patch: What are the best flu treatment options for children or adults who are not comfortable with needles?

Lavoie: There is certainly an option available for those who may have a fear of needles. At RediClinic, we offer FluMist® – a simple nasal spray vaccine administered with one spritz in each nostril. FluMist is approved for use between the ages of 2 to 49, and the CDC announced that FluMist is one of the recommended forms of flu vaccine for this year’s flu season.

Patch: What is the most challenging aspect of the current flu season for you and your team at RediClinic?

Lavoie: Every year I believe the biggest challenge with flu season is the fear of the unknown. Of course, researchers do the best they can to ensure that this year’s vaccine will protect against as many strains as possible, but due to the flu virus’ rapid mutation nothing is guaranteed. We don’t have all the answers for our patients regarding the upcoming flu season, but what we can help them with is how to be prepared and when to come get treatment if necessary.

The best course of action is to prepare the best you can. Or as we like to say – Be Redi!

Patch: What are you expecting to see this flu season that you haven't seen previously or haven't seen in a long time?

Lavoie: Last year’s flu season was tragically widespread – 80,000 people were impacted by the flu last year–in some cases, fatally. We are hoping to not experience anything as tragic as that again. It is promising that the CDC predicts that this year’s vaccine is expected to be more accurate than last year.

Given the severity of the 2017-18 flu season, it is incredibly important to get yourself, your family and as many members of the community vaccinated to help reduce the risk and spread of infection. Even though getting a flu shot comes with no guarantees, it is still important, so schedule your appointment to see us today!

This Patch article is sponsored by RediClinic

Image Credit: RediClinic