Flu Season Has Arrived

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Photo Courtesy of Grand Court Senior Living

Flu season is upon us and here are the things you need to know. Flu season according to the Wikipedia definition, is an annual time period characterized by the abundance of outbreaks of flu virus. The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. Flu activity can sometimes be predicted and even tracked geographically.

    Knowing the symptoms of the flu is the biggest part of preventing it. High temperatures and cold sweats are a major symptom of the flu virus. Other important symptoms are vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. These symptoms are more common among kids rather than adults. Parents must make sure they notice these signs and take the proper actions to take care of their children.

    MedicalNewsToday says parents should have their child stay home and avoid contact with other people. They need to make sure they consume plenty of fluids and eat if it is possible. Having a good routine for when someone in the family is sick is a good idea. Have a set meal that helps you or the person sick get better.

    Kathleen Stormer, a Mehlville High School nurse says the best way to avoid the flu would be “hand washing, stay home if you’re sick; don’t expose others, and then the flu shot.”

    According to MedicalNewsToday, keeping an eye out for serious symptoms is important and need to be checked by a doctor. A doctor needs to be informed if the person sick has a temperature that has remained high for four to five days, if the symptoms worsen, the individual feels seriously ill and is developing a shortness of breath or chest pain. It is also a good idea to inform a doctor if the individual is elderly. Elderly people are more prone since their immune systems are getting weaker.

    The risks of serious symptoms varies from person to person says MedicalNewsToday. Individuals such as pregnant women and people with diabetes are at high risk of contracting the flu virus. So it is important that these individuals take the necessary precautions to avoid the flu or the complications could be severe. For people with diabetes the flu virus can cause the conditions pertaining to diabetes to get worse.

    The flu virus is very common. Stormer stated, “ The people that caught the flu on average last year was 700,000 and that was without the flu shot. And out of the 700,000 people, 80,000 died.”  

    Those numbers show that not only is the flu common but it is also deadly and something to take seriously. The best way to prevent the flu is to get the flu vaccination. There are two types of vaccinations. The flu shot that is injected into the arm using a needle and then there is the nasal spray which is sprayed in the nose. Either one of the vaccination types does the trick. Getting the vaccine should be yearly because that is the best protection from the flu.

    Keeping yourself and the others around you safe is very important. So this flu season, take the necessary precautions and keep an eye out for symptoms of the flu. No one wants to be sick, but if it comes down to it you will be ready.