Chills, muscle aches, headaches, fever, fatigue, and nausea are all common flu symptoms. They can last for up to two weeks, but the flu is actually very preventable!
Flu season is in full swing from late December to early March. Call the Community Health Center to see if a practitioner is available to give you a shot TODAY! No appointment necessary!
3 Steps to Help You Reduce Your Risk
1. Get a Flu Shot
According to Flu.gov, “Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself from the flu.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree, stating, “a yearly flu vaccine [is] the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses.” So here’s what you need to know about the flu vaccine. You need to get one every year, before or during the start of flu season. The CDC recommends getting this shot as soon as it becomes available in your area. The vaccine is generally safe for everyone over the age of 6 months, and the benefits are significant. They include a decreased number of school/work absences due to illness and a lower risk of flu-related deaths.
2. Wash Your Hands
To wash your hands well, use warm running water and soap. Lather your hands with the soap and scrub them together for at least 20 seconds before rinsing them off. Wash your hands frequently. Be sure to wash your hands after using the bathroom, before preparing or eating any food, and after you’ve come in contact with any contaminated surfaces.
3. Avoid Contamination
If you’re in an area with lots of germs, avoid touching your mouth, eyes, and nose. Touching those areas after touching a contaminated surface is one of the fastest ways to spread germs. And keep your surfaces clean. Wash regularly-touched objects like door handles often.
Copyright foodandhealth.com, reprinted with permission
Flu Shot Myths
1. Myth: You can get the flu from the flu vaccine
The flu shot is made from an inactivated virus that can't transmit infection. So people who get sick after receiving a flu vaccination were going to get sick anyway
2. Myth: Healthy People Don't Need the Flu Shot
While it's especially important for people who have a chronic illness to get the flu shot, anyone — even healthy folks — can benefit from being vaccinated. Current CDC guidelines recommend yearly vaccination against influenza for everyone older than 6 months of age, including pregnant women.
3. Myth: You Don't Need to Get a Flu Shot Every Year
The influenza virus changes (mutates) each year. So getting vaccinated each year is important to make sure you have immunity to the strains most likely to cause an outbreak.
References:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention cdc.gov 2019
Harvard Health health.harvard.edu November 2018