Preparing for the Flu Season
Here’s a quick primer on influenza—and the need to get vaccinated—from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kathleen Gutierrez, MD, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.
When does the flu season start? Why?
Influenza season in the United States usually occurs between December and March. The exact timing changes from year to year depending on the type of influenza virus that is circulating. Physicians at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital usually start looking for flu in patients with respiratory symptoms as early as October.
Influenza spreads more efficiently during the colder months of the year when people are indoors in close contact with each other. The flu virus spreads in respiratory droplets that are propelled through the air from coughing and sneezing. The virus can easily infect someone standing nearby or someone who touches the infected secretions.
How serious a problem is the flu?
Here’s what the CDC has to say: “Most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu. Millions of people in the United States—about 5 percent to 20 percent of U.S. residents—will get influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and more than 200,000 have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age.”
Should I get the flu vaccine?
The CDC says that the single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each fall. Although anyone who wants to reduce the chances of getting the flu should get vaccinated, the CDC identifies certain high-priority groups: children aged 6 to 23 months even if they are healthy, anyone 65 or older, pregnant women, anyone who cares for or comes in contact with infants less than 6 months of age, health-care personnel who provide direct patient care and people aged 2 to 64 years with chronic health conditions.
How worried should I be about avian influenza?
So far, the cases of avian flu that have occurred have primarily been the result of contact with infected poultry. The flu virus that has been causing avian influenza has not yet developed into a strain that is easily spread from person to person.
How can I tell if someone has the flu?
The symptoms of the flu and other respiratory viruses can be similar, especially in young children. But in general the flu tends to make people sicker. They may have sudden fever (higher than 101 degrees F), have chills with the fever, be very tired, complain of headache and sore throat and have a dry cough. Some people with flu will have a stomachache and vomiting or severe muscle pain. People with colds usually have lower fever, more of a runny nose and are more likely to have more energy.
What about antiviral medications?
There are antiviral medications that are useful for treatment of influenza infections, but they are generally used for those people with severe illness or who are at high risk for complications of flu. A doctor must prescribe the drug, and it must be taken within 48 hours of becoming sick.
What are danger signs for those who have the flu?
Among the signs are a fever that persists beyond three or four days, a persistent cough or difficulty breathing, excessive sleepiness, persistent vomiting, diarrhea or ear pain.