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Last year, more than 120,000 people in Pennsylvania contracted the flu and over 500 were hospitalized.

  • Flu season usually begins in October and peaks between late December and March
  • Getting vaccinated every year is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from the flu

What is the Flu?

Influenza (flu) is caused by a virus that infects your body and attacks your respiratory system — nose, throat and lungs.

Flu Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual flu vaccination for everyone age 6 months or older. The flu vaccine contains protection from the three or four influenza viruses that are expected to be the most common during that year's flu season.

Controlling the Spread of the Flu

The influenza vaccine isn't 100% effective, so it's also important to take measures to reduce the spread of infection:

  • Wash your hands. Washing your hands thoroughly and often, or using alcohol-based hand sanitizers, are effective ways to prevent many common infections, including flu.
  • Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or into your sleeve to avoid spreading germs to your hands.
  • Avoid crowds. Flu spreads easily in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and public transportation. Avoiding crowds during peak flu season reduces your chances of exposure and infection. If you are sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone so that you don’t infect other people.

For more information about flu treatment visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Flu Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/index.html

Risk Factors

For most people, flu will go away on its own. But sometimes, flu and flu-related complications can be deadly. People at higher risk of developing flu and flu complications include:

  • Age:
    • Children under 5 years, and especially those under 2 years
    • Adults older than 65 years
  • Living or working environments
    • Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
    • People who work in these facilities or places like military barracks, schools, hospitals
  • Pregnant women and women up to two weeks post-delivery
  • People with weakened immune systems
    • Things that weaken immune systems include taking anti-rejection drugs, using corticosteroids, cancer treatments, cancers of the immune system or plasma cells, viral hepatitis infection, HIV/AIDS
  • People who have chronic illnesses, such as asthma, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease and diabetes
  • People who are very obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher

Getting a flu vaccine every year is your best defense against the flu.
For more information about flu visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Influenza (flu): https://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Flu Complications

A case of the flu usually isn't serious if you are young and healthy. You might feel miserable while you have it, but the flu usually goes away in a week or two and you should have no lasting effects. High-risk children and adults may develop complications such as:

  • Pneumonia
  • Bronchitis
  • Asthma flare-ups
  • Heart problems
  • Ear infections

Pneumonia is the most serious flu complication and it can be deadly for older adults and people with a chronic illness.
For more information about flu visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Influenza (flu): https://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Is It a Cold or the Flu?

Colds and flu share many of the same symptoms like sneezing, coughing, aches, and fever. It’s important to learn the differences so you know when you or a family member should visit a doctor.

Symptom Cold Flu
Fever Sometimes Common
Aches and pains Mild Usually, often severe
Chills Uncommon Common
Fatigue, weakness Sometimes Usually, 2-3 weeks
Sneezing/stuffy nose Frequent Sometimes
Sore throat Frequent Sometimes
Coughing, chest discomfort Common; can be severe Mild to moderate
Headache Rare Common

For more information about flu symptoms visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Flu Symptoms: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/index.html

Flu Treatment

The best thing to do if you have the flu is to get bed rest and drink plenty of fluids (water, juices, warm soups) to treat the flu. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), can help with the achiness that often accompanies the flu. Be careful about giving aspirin to children or teens because of the risk of Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal condition.

But if you are in a high risk group (which may include young children, adults 65 years or older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease) you should get to your doctor quickly (within 48 hours). They can treat you with antiviral medications that help shorten your illness and may prevent serious complications. Prompt antiviral treatment can mean the difference between a milder or more serious illness possibly resulting in a hospital stay. There are a number of medications that can shorten the duration of the flu and they include:

Antiviral Medication Form Length of Treatment
Xofluza Tablet 1 day
Tamiflu Liquid, capsule 5 days
Rapivab Intravenous administration 1 day
Relenza Inhaled powder 5 days

For more information about flu treatment visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Flu Treatment: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/treatment/index.html