Flu Facts
It’s that time of year again; the time when homes smell like cinnamon and pumpkin pie, when I tend to gain about five pounds, and when fleece feels like heaven on your feet and also the time to get a FLU SHOT.
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. It causes mild to severe illness and sometimes death. The single best way to protect yourself against the flu is to get a vaccine each year. Symptoms of the flu include a high fever, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, dry cough, runny and stuffy nose, muscle aches and stomach symptoms more common in children include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
According to the CDC, each year 5%-20% of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 are hospitalized for complications such as pneumonia, dehydration and worsening of other chronic medical conditions. Older people, young children and people with other health conditions like asthma, diabetes and heart disease are at a higher risk for suffering complications and this group especially should get vaccinated. About 36,000 people die.
You should get vaccinated as soon as vaccine becomes available as early as September. Flu season usually peaks around January but outbreaks can occur earlier in the winter and closer to the holiday season.
Visit the CDC website page here to read more about how FLU spread and how to protect yourself.
The following people in particular should be vaccinated:
- Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
- Pregnant women
- People 50 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
- a. Health care workers
b. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
c. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
For information about flu shots for children CLICK HERE.
