Flu Season – The Most Miserable Time Of The Year!
Introduction
Flu (influenza) season means the months of the year when a lot of people have it and it’s easy to catch. Outbreaks usually begin suddenly and occur mainly in the late fall and winter. It is a respiratory infection caused by a number of different viruses. Vaccines are usually given in the fall, before flu season starts and are available as a shot or nasal mist. Shots are most important for: people 65 or older, nursing home patients, children over 6 months old, people with health problems such as asthma or with long-term diseases, such as HIV or heart disease, children or teen-agers who must often take aspirin, people who are often around older people or those with health problems. Symptoms can be mild or severe – and if they’re mild can become severe without notice.
Symptoms
If you get infected by the virus, you will usually feel symptoms 1 to 4 days later. Signs of the flu may include: fever, chills, headache, muscle ache, dizziness, loss of appetite, tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, weakness, ear pain, diarrhea. They come on suddenly and are worse than those of the common cold however; having these symptoms does not automatically mean that you have the flu. Many different illnesses, including the common cold, can have similar symptoms. It is very difficult to distinguish the flu from other infections on the basis of these signs alone.
If you develop flu-like symptoms and are concerned about your illness, especially if you are at high risk for complications, you should consult your health-care provider. Based on your signs, your doctor can usually tell if you have influenza, especially during times when a lot of it is going around. After 5 days, fever and other signs have usually disappeared, but a cough and weakness may continue for a while. All symptoms are usually gone within a week or two.
Vaccine
Two kinds of flu vaccines are available in the United States: The “flu shot” – an in-activated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm OR the nasal-spray – a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause influenza (sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine” or FluMist