Upland, Pa. - Every year, newspaper articles and television broadcasts are filled with dire warnings about the upcoming season, encouraging people to take steps to prevent contracting the flu. Still, experts estimate more than 142,000 Americans will be hospitalized with the flu this winter, and 36,000 will die.
“Many people believe the myth that influenza is a minor illness,” says David Kalodner, D.O., chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Taylor Hospital. “Everyone needs to realize that the flu is very serious and can lead to potentially life-threatening complications. That’s why it is so important to take necessary steps to prevent contracting the flu, and if you do come down with it, to seek assistance from your physician and take good care of yourself until it has run its course through the body.”
Without a doubt, the best way to fight the flu is to not come down with it at all. As with any illness, your physician is your best ally in this area. He or she can recommend ways to optimize your health status, give you updates on influenza epidemics, and administer the best flu-fighter of all: your annual flu shot.
“A great defense against the flu is having an immune system primed to fight the influenza invaders, should you become exposed to them,” says Mitchell Kaminski, M.D., chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. “Immunity can be ‘natural’ – that is, developed from a previous infection with influenza – or developed through the use of the flu vaccine. The vaccine that is developed each year is a guess of the most likely three strains to cause a flu epidemic, based upon reported cases of influenza around the world. Because the strains causing influenza epidemics change each year, the vaccine must be altered each year, and you should receive the vaccine each year if you are at risk of flu complications.”
The influenza vaccine is available through physicians and public-health facilities, and may be available at health fairs during flu season. Call (610) 447-2050 to find out about flu vaccine availability in the Delaware County region.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, vaccination is recommended for anyone over the age of 50; babies aged 6 months to 2 years old; nursing home residents and employees; anyone whose immune system is compromised by AIDS, cancer or other chronic ailments like diabetes, heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD; and people who work in medical facilities. The flu vaccine is available in two forms: the traditional injectable vaccine, which is made from an inactivated virus and is approved for people 6 months of age and older; and a nasal spray, which is a live and weakened form of the flu and is approved for all healthy people aged 5-49 years who are not pregnant.
In addition to receiving a flu shot, your physician can help you learn other ways to prevent infection with the flu.
“Your physician is a great resource for learning about the flu, especially when there is an epidemic, or if a particular strain of flu is hitting the area hard,” says Nelson E. Ziets, D.O., chief of the Division of Family Practice at Springfield Hospital. “Talk to your physician at the start of flu season to learn what to watch for. Keep your eyes and ears open to information on display in your physician’s office, and watch and read the news for pertinent updates.”
Other steps that may help you reduce your risk of contracting the flu or its complications include:
• Washing your hands often, especially during winter months when the flu is most common.
• Keeping your hands away from your nose, eyes and mouth. Viruses are most likely to enter your body through these areas.
• Eating a healthy and balanced diet and taking a multivitamin every day.
• Getting regular exercise.
• Not smoking. Smoking irritates the lining of your nose, sinuses and lungs, which may make you susceptible to complications of the flu.
• Trying to avoid large crowds, and staying away from people who are coughing or sneezing.
• Dressing appropriately for the weather, and staying warm and dry so your body can fight off infection by flu and other viruses.
If you do contract the flu, your symptoms can last as long as two weeks. You will most likely run a fever for 3 to 8 days, and experience respiratory symptoms, such as cough, runny nose and sore throat, for 3 to 4 days after the fever goes down. A dry, hacking cough can linger for up to 10 days after other symptoms are gone, and you may feel weakened and fatigued for several weeks.
If you recognize flu symptoms quickly, call your physician. Two medications currently on the market can reduce the duration and severity of flu symptoms if taken within 1 to 2 days of the onset of symptoms. Otherwise, you can treat your flu symptoms at home using non-prescription flu remedies, pain medications (such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen) and nasal decongestants. Drinking plenty of fluids can help replace those lost through sweating (a common side effect of fever) and can ease coughs.
Physicians recommend patients avoid taking aspirin to alleviate flu symptoms, due to its connection with Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. In addition, antibiotics cannot be used to shorten or lessen the effects of the flu.
“The flu is a viral infection, so an antibiotic will have no effect on the symptoms,” says W. James Hart, D.O., chairman of the Department of Family Practice at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. “It may be prescribed to treat secondary complications that can arise with the flu, but it will have no effect on the flu itself. The only medications that can help shorten or lessen the effects of the flu must be used within 48 hours of the first symptom; after that, asking your physician to prescribe an antibiotic is ineffective and could actually cause more serious problems, like antibiotics resistance.”
For more information on fighting the flu, or to find a Crozer-Keystone physician who’s right for you, call 1-800-CK-HEALTH (1-800-254-3258).