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Flu Season: What you need to know
Posted 11/25/2012 Updated 11/25/2012
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Commentary by Public Health
by 51st Aerospace Medicine Squadron
11/25/2012 - OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- If you ever had the flu, you know it can knock you out - then with members of your family, friends, and co-workers not far behind.
Today, it's more important than ever to get your facts straight about flu--and the vaccines available to prevent the flu.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects that regular seasonal flu viruses will cause illness and recommends a yearly seasonal vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against seasonal influenza.
The vaccine available today protects against the seasonal flu and is composed of three different flu strains. Vaccines are updated annually with the strains believed to be most prevalent in the coming year. For the 2012-13 flu season, the three strains that make up the vaccine are: Flu A (H1N1), Flu A (H3N2), Flu B.
All uniformed personnel of the U.S. Armed Forces have a mandatory obligation to receive the vaccine every year, unless they are medically unable to receive it. It is highly recommended for all others and here's why:
According to Dr. Anne Schuchat, U.S. Public Health Service and CDC's Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases assistant surgeon general, people who do not get vaccinated are taking risks with themselves and those they are coming in close contact with. Flu can be especially serious for babies, young children, pregnant women, people with certain chronic medical conditions, and seniors who are at high risk of flu‐related complications or death.
You can get vaccinated with either a flu shot (for people six months and older) or a nasal spray vaccine (for healthy people from 2 to 49 years of age who are not pregnant).
It's important to realize that the influenza vaccine cannot give you the flu because the injected flu shot contains inactivated or killed viruses, and the nasal spray contains attenuated or weakened viruses and cannot cause flu illness.
If you get the flu soon after getting the flu vaccine, it means that you may have been exposed to the virus shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two‐week period it takes the body to gain protection after getting vaccinated, or you are sick with a non‐flu respiratory virus that has similar symptoms of the flu.
Seasonal flu is thought to spread mostly from person to person through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with flu. You can also get sick by touching something with flu viruses and then touching your eyes, mouth or nose. Make sure to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and wash your hands often with soap and water. It's also smart to avoid close contact with people who are sick.
For people who are very sick from flu and are hospitalized, or people who are sick with flu symptoms and are at increased risk for serious flu complications, antiviral drugs are available to alleviate the illness and minimize its duration. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within the first 2 days of symptoms.
So fight the flu by following the CDC recommended three‐step approach: vaccination; everyday preventive actions; and seeking prompt medical attention at the onset of symptoms!
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