What is flu? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the flu is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs caused by influenza viruses. Flu viruses cause illness, hospital stays and deaths in the United States each year.
What are the symptoms of the flu? Symptoms of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
How long can a sick person spread the flu to others? People infected with the flu shed the virus and are able to infect others from 1 day before getting sick to 5 to 7 days after. This can be longer in some people, especially those with a weakened immune system.
The Lafayette County Health Department urges you to follow CDC recommendations &take the following actions to protect yourself & others from influenza:
Get vaccinated this season!
Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year. This recommendation has been in place since February 24, 2010 when CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for "universal" flu vaccination in the U.S. to expand protection against the flu to more people. While everyone should get a flu vaccine each flu season, it's especially important that certain people get vaccinated either because they are at high risk of having serious flu–related complications or because they live with or care for people at high risk for developing flu–related complications.
- Pregnant women
- Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
- People 50 years of age and older
- People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
- People who live in nursing homes and other long–term care facilities
- People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
- Health care workers
- Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
- Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
What viruses does the 2011-2012 flu vaccine protect against?
Flu vaccines are designed to protect against the three influenza viruses that experts predict will be the most common during the upcoming season. Each season, this includes an influenza B virus, an influenza A (H1N1) virus and an influenza A (H3N2) virus. (These are the three virus subtypes that are circulating most commonly among people today.) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that the United States 2011–2012 seasonal influenza vaccine contain the following three vaccine viruses:
- An A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) - like virus;
- An A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2) - like virus; and
- A B/Brisbane/60/2008 - like virus.
The 2011–12 influenza vaccine can protect you from getting sick from these three viruses, or it can make your illness milder if you get a related but different influenza virus strain. The viruses in this season's vaccine are the same viruses that were selected for the 2010-2011 influenza vaccine for the United States.
Vaccine composition remained the same as last year, do I still need a flu shot this season?
The viruses selected for the vaccine did remain the same because they continued to be the main viruses causing human illness worldwide.
You should indeed get a flu shot each season. Your body's level of immunity from a vaccine received last season is expected to have declined. You may not have enough immunity to be protected from getting sick this season. You should be vaccinated again to raise your immune levels against the three viruses that research indicates are likely to circulate again this season.
When should I get the 2011-2012 influenza vaccine?
CDC recommends that people get vaccinated against influenza as soon as vaccine becomes available in their community, but vaccination can take place at any time throughout the influenza season. Influenza seasons are unpredictable, and can begin as early as October. And, it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. Therefore, CDC recommends people be vaccinated as soon as vaccine becomes available to ensure that as many people as possible are protected before influenza season begins.
What additional prevention steps can I take this flu season?
- Take everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs.
- 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. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- If you are sick with flu–like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
- While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
- Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them.
- If you get the flu, antiviral drugs can treat your illness.
- Antiviral drugs are different from antibiotics. They are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) and are not available over-the-counter.
- Antiviral drugs can make illness milder and shorten the time you are sick. They may also prevent serious flu complications.
- It's very important that antiviral drugs be used early (within the first 2 days of symptoms) to treat people who are very sick (such as those who are hospitalized) or people who are sick with flu symptoms and who are at increased risk of severe flu illness, such as pregnant women, young children, people 65 and older and people with certain chronic health conditions.
- Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu, and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.
Visit CDC www.cdc.gov to find out what to do if you get sick with the flu and how to care for someone at home who is sick with the flu.
Please call the Lafayette County Health Department for an appointment for your flu shot! Call 608-776-4895
Click here to view the 2011 Flu Clinic Schedule UPDATED.
