Fighting Off Microscopic Invaders

The annual flu season has begun. The flu, or influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus that infects the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It is spread from person to person through coughs, sneezes, and touching contaminated surfaces. The flu will infect anywhere between 5-20% of the population or 31.4 million people. There are four types of flu; Influenza A, B, C, and D. Influenza A and B are the ones that cause most of the epidemics in the country. Influenza C is a mild respiratory infection that hasn’t caused an epidemic yet, while Influenza D only infects cattle. This disease can cause $10.4 billion a year in medical expenses and 16.3 billion in lost earnings. Here are some tips to survive this current flu season.

Know The Symptoms

It’s hard to diagnose the flu since its symptoms mirror other diseases. Early symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Fatigue
• Body aches
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore Throat
• Fever

By day three or four, you’ll be at your most contagious, having a:

• Headache
• Dry, persistent cough
• Runny/stuffy noses

These symptoms vary from person to person, so you might not have all of them.

Treating The Flu

You should try to stay home as much as possible while sick. Medical experts recommend you stay home for 24 hours after your fever breaks. Most of the time, the fastest way to treat the flu is with plenty of bed rest. Eat protein and iron-rich foods like chicken noodle soup. Drink plenty of water and avoid caffeinated drinks such as coffee to stay hydrated. Take a pain reliever, like Advil, to combat the fever and achiness. Talk to your pharmacist about which over-the-counter flu medication works best with your symptoms. If the flu is bad enough, talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for an anti-viral like Tami-Flu. The only time you should go to the ER is when your fever is over 103, your diarrhea/vomiting lasted more the 24 hours, or you are showing signs of severe dehydration.

Preventive Care

The best way to survive the flu season is to avoid catching it. Wash your hands frequently with warm, soapy water and mild soap. If unavailable, use a 60% or more alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces on a daily basis like door knobs. Limit your contact with the sick, or avoid them entirely. Wearing a medically approved N95 mask can reduce your risk of catching it in large, public gathering places like the grocery store. This is one of the reasons why flu cases were so low during COVID-19 times. Improve the air quality of your home by opening the windows for one hour a day, or investing in an air purifier.

Getting The Shot

You should consult with your doctor about getting the flu vaccine as soon as you can, especially if you are in the at-risk group. The at-risk group usually consists of people over 65, pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions like asthma. The flu vaccine is usually a mixture of what flu strains are floating around. It can be administered by injection into the arm, or as a nasal spray. The CDC recommends that everyone over 6 months old should get it. They would like it if 100% of the population got it, but that isn’t always possible, so they’ll settle for 80%. If you do get the flu shot, you’ll be 60% less likely to catch it, and 31% less likely to die from it. To learn more about vaccines, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/flushot.htm.