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Simple Remedy for the flu: Get Your Vaccination
 Down under in Australia, where the seasons are reversed, peak flu season for this year has come and gone. Flu cases reported were three times greater than normal.
Back in the northern hemisphere, Hawaii has already reported some early cases of the flu, and experts are worried that this flu season might be heavier and more severe than usual.
Regardless of what happens this winter, there is one thing you can do to protect yourself: get a flu shot. Plenty of vaccine will be available—up to 132 million doses—and it’s highly recommended for anyone at risk of complications from the flu and anyone likely to come in contact with such individuals.
But, even if you belong to neither of these groups, there’s no reason to pass up the opportunity to protect yourself from an unpleasant and sometimes deadly illness.
The flu is an upper respiratory viral infection with symptoms similar to those of the common cold, but much more severe. Whereas cold symptoms may come on gradually, the flu is likely to hit you hard on the first day — with fever, chills, headache and a generalized achy feeling that makes you want to go to bed.
Like a cold, the flu is viral rather than bacterial and, as a result, cannot be treated with antibiotics.
Antivirals such as amantadine (Symmetrel), rimantadine (Flumadine), zanamivir (Relenza), and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) can be used to decrease the severity and duration of the flu, but it’s still a battle that requires patience. And, eventually, you could end up with a serious complication such as pneumonia.
In a normal year — and this year may not be normal — the flu kills about 36,000 Americans and sends about 226,000 to the hospital. Most of those who die are over age 65. Others at risk of hospitalization because of serious complications include residents of nursing homes; children younger than two; persons with chronic heart or lung conditions such as heart disease or asthma.
For high-risk persons, vaccination against the flu is highly recommended. And persons who come in regular contact with such persons, such as family, friends and health care workers, should also be immunized to keep from spreading the disease to them.
For children and young adults, the flu is rarely a life-threatening event. But they are the ones most likely to catch and spread the virus, and the illness can take away precious days of work and study.
There are many reasons people have for not getting a flu shot — not enough time, anxiety about a needle prick or simply that “it won’t happen to me.” Unfortunately, the flu can happen to you and may this winter unless you take action to prevent it.
Talk to your health care provider today to see if the flu vaccine is right for you. If you do not have a primary care physician and would like a referral to a doctor in your area, call Mercy Hospital’s toll-free physician referral access line at: 1 (888) MERCYME. Or, go to the Find a Physician section of this website.
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