Protect Yourself From the Flu

Winter, spring, summer, fall—we all have our favorite season. But "flu season"? No one likes that. In the United States, flu season usually runs from October through May.

This year, however, we are fighting both the regular seasonal flu and a new strain of H1N1 flu (commonly referred to as "swine flu").

Know Your Seasonal Flu Risk

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average more than 200,000 Americans are hospitalized each year because of flu, and about 36,000 of them die. That's why a seasonal flu shot is so important. You are at increased risk for flu if you:

• are age 65 or older
• live or work in a nursing home or other facility where people are chronically ill
• have a chronic health problem, such as kidney, lung, or heart disease; diabetes, a blood disorder, or asthma
• have an illness (such as HIV/AIDS) or get medical treatment (such as chemotherapy) that weakens your immune system and keeps you from fighting infections
• are a health care worker
• take care of or live with someone in a high-risk group

The CDC recommends a seasonal flu shot every year for people 50 or older. They say this should be done as soon as vaccines become available at doctors' offices and other community locations.

H1N1 Flu (Sometimes Known as Swine Flu)

A seasonal flu vaccine will not protect you against the H1N1 flu strain. This year, there is a separate vaccine for H1N1 flu.

Groups at high risk of contracting H1N1 include: children and young adults up to age 24; pregnant women; people who live with or care for infants; health care workers; and 25-to-64-year-olds with cancer, blood disorders, chronic lung disease (asthma, COPD), diabetes, heart disease, kidney disorders, liver disorders, neurological disorders, neuromuscular disorders, or HIV, all of which can increase the severity of flu symptoms in patients.

According to the CDC, older Americans are less likely than younger people to get sick from the H1N1 flu, probably because they have immunity from an earlier exposure to a similar flu.

But the CDC web site notes that while people 65 and older are less likely to be infected, those that do become infected are at greater risk of having serious complications from their illness and there have been severe infections and deaths in every age group, including older people.

That's why, as many places have opened up vaccinations to anyone who wants them, the CDC has encouraged people 65 years and older to seek vaccination against H1N1 if local supply is sufficient. This vaccine is the best way to protect against the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus.

Recognizing Flu Symptoms

The flu is an infection. Symptoms may include a fever, chills, body aches, a dry cough, and sometimes a sore throat or runny nose. You might also feel extremely tired. Check with your doctor if you are not sure whether you have a cold or the flu.

How the Flu Spreads

Flu viruses can pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. You can catch the flu if you're around an infected person who coughs or sneezes. You can also pick up flu germs from touching a surface that someone with the flu has touched, such as a telephone or doorknob, and then passing the germs from your hand to your nose or mouth.

You can avoid picking up some of the germs by washing your hands often—using soap and warm water, or an alcohol-based gel or wipe—and keeping them away from your eyes, nose and mouth.

Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Stay home if you are sick for seven days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.

Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds, and other social distancing measures.

Where to Get a Flu Shot?

You can get a flu shot at your doctor's office or a local clinic. Sometimes they are available where you work or at your neighborhood supermarket or drugstore.

The flu can be a serious illness. Take action to protect yourself. Get a flu shot. Prevention is the best medicine!

And don't forget another important shot. Everyone older than 65 or anyone with a chronic condition should protect themselves from pneumonia with a shot.