Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Flu season is here – get vaccinated before it’s too late
“Doctor, should we be getting a flu shot?” It’s a common question I am asked during this season. Season after season for those of us in the Northeast, we have no chance of escaping the cold and flu – except the snow birds!
Holidays are fast-approaching. The sagging economy has everyone worried and the need to work harder and longer has become a necessity. There is no time to get sick or worse get the dreaded flu, which is now being reported in Connecticut.
The best way to avoid it is to get a flu shot.
What is Flu?
Let us review some of the key facts about Influenza, which is a viral infection of the upper airways (i.e. nose, throat) and lungs. A sudden onset of fever, runny/stuffy nose, sore-throat, cough, generalized aches and pains, and extreme fatigue are typical symptoms.
Among children it can commonly lead to nausea, vomiting and other complications such as dehydration. I have heard some of my patients’ parents refer to this as “stomach flu,” although medically speaking this is not entirely correct. It always is a “chest flu,” except children commonly have more stomach symptoms.
For a majority of people in good health, the illness lasts usually for 3-7 days, although cough and general aches and pains can last for more than two weeks. Obviously it is far more dangerous in certain populations such as young children, elderly and persons suffering from other illnesses like asthma, diabetes and heart disease.
How serious is Flu?
In the United States, each year on average 5-20% of the population gets the flu, of which about 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 people die from flu. Complications from the flu include pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections and the worsening of existing heart conditions or asthma or diabetes.
Generally flu season starts in November and lasts until March but may start as early as October and can last as late as May. Flu spreads from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with flu. Most persons with flu are contagious from the day before their symptoms appear until five days after becoming sick.
How do I prevent flu?
The single best way to prevent flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. There are two types of vaccines:
• The “flu shot” – containing killed virus that is given to people 6-months of age and older, and people with existing medical conditions or pregnant.
• The nasal spray vaccine – a weakened live virus vaccine that can be given to healthy people 5-years to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.
October and November are the best times to get vaccinated, but getting flu shots in December or even later can still be beneficial since most flu activity occurs in January or later in most years. It takes about two weeks for the protective antibodies to develop after the vaccination.
Who should get vaccinated?
In general anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However the following are considered the high risk group as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1. People at high risk for complications from flu, including:
• Children aged 6 months to 5 years
• Pregnant women
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, and
• People who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities
2. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications, including:
• Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu (see above)
• Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
• Healthcare workers
Good health habits help
Good health habits are other ways to protect against flu:
• Avoid close contacts with people who are sick, keep your distance from others when you are sick
• Stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing
• Wash your hands often
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat healthy food
Now that you learned a little bit about flu, call your doctor or local healthcare facility and get a flu shot. Enjoy your good health and happy holidays.
Ravi Prakash, MD, is a pediatrician on the Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private practice in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Prakash and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org, or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com.
Holidays are fast-approaching. The sagging economy has everyone worried and the need to work harder and longer has become a necessity. There is no time to get sick or worse get the dreaded flu, which is now being reported in Connecticut.
The best way to avoid it is to get a flu shot.
What is Flu?
Let us review some of the key facts about Influenza, which is a viral infection of the upper airways (i.e. nose, throat) and lungs. A sudden onset of fever, runny/stuffy nose, sore-throat, cough, generalized aches and pains, and extreme fatigue are typical symptoms.
Among children it can commonly lead to nausea, vomiting and other complications such as dehydration. I have heard some of my patients’ parents refer to this as “stomach flu,” although medically speaking this is not entirely correct. It always is a “chest flu,” except children commonly have more stomach symptoms.
For a majority of people in good health, the illness lasts usually for 3-7 days, although cough and general aches and pains can last for more than two weeks. Obviously it is far more dangerous in certain populations such as young children, elderly and persons suffering from other illnesses like asthma, diabetes and heart disease.
How serious is Flu?
In the United States, each year on average 5-20% of the population gets the flu, of which about 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 people die from flu. Complications from the flu include pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections and the worsening of existing heart conditions or asthma or diabetes.
Generally flu season starts in November and lasts until March but may start as early as October and can last as late as May. Flu spreads from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with flu. Most persons with flu are contagious from the day before their symptoms appear until five days after becoming sick.
How do I prevent flu?
The single best way to prevent flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. There are two types of vaccines:
• The “flu shot” – containing killed virus that is given to people 6-months of age and older, and people with existing medical conditions or pregnant.
• The nasal spray vaccine – a weakened live virus vaccine that can be given to healthy people 5-years to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.
October and November are the best times to get vaccinated, but getting flu shots in December or even later can still be beneficial since most flu activity occurs in January or later in most years. It takes about two weeks for the protective antibodies to develop after the vaccination.
Who should get vaccinated?
In general anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However the following are considered the high risk group as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1. People at high risk for complications from flu, including:
• Children aged 6 months to 5 years
• Pregnant women
• People 50 years of age and older
• People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, and
• People who live in nursing homes and other long term care facilities
2. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications, including:
• Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu (see above)
• Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
• Healthcare workers
Good health habits help
Good health habits are other ways to protect against flu:
• Avoid close contacts with people who are sick, keep your distance from others when you are sick
• Stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing
• Wash your hands often
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
• Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat healthy food
Now that you learned a little bit about flu, call your doctor or local healthcare facility and get a flu shot. Enjoy your good health and happy holidays.
Ravi Prakash, MD, is a pediatrician on the Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private practice in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Prakash and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org, or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com.
# posted by ----------------- @ 9:51 AM 
