Flu Prevention

As the calendar flips into the coldest months of winter, there’s another season on the minds of doctors everywhere: Flu season. Between 5 and 20 percent of the United States population will contract some form of influenza in a given year, with an average of roughly 200,000 Americans visiting a hospital for the flu and up to nearly 50,000 flu-related deaths annually. The months from December to February are the highest-risk period for new cases of influenza.

There are plenty of simple ways to lower your risk of developing the flu this winter. Here are a few tips:

Vaccination

Yearly vaccines are the number one way to prevent the flu virus. Recent studies have shown major reductions in flu risk among people who receive proper vaccinations every year.

Flu vaccines take a couple weeks to kick in, and are therefore generally recommended early in the fall before the flu season begins. There are two different broad types of vaccines: Trivalent, which work against three strains of influenza, and quadrivalent, which work against four strains.

Trivalent flu vaccines include:

Standard dose: Typically produced using a flu virus grown in eggs and injected into muscles in the arm, this vaccine is recommended for patients in normal health between ages 18 and 64.
Egg-free trivalent shot: Some people with severe egg allergies are given this alternative shot.
High-dose or adjuvant-added shot: These forms of trivalent vaccine are for people 65 years of age or older who might require stronger vaccines or additional ingredients.

Quadrivalent flu vaccines include:

Standard dose.
Cell culture-grown: New in 2016, this vaccine uses a virus grown in cell culture rather than in eggs. It can be used for anyone ages 4 and up.
Intradermal shot: A shot using a much smaller needle than normal, and injected into the skin rather than the muscle of the arm.

The CDC recommends particular types of vaccines on a yearly basis. Other vaccinations are recommended within particular risk groups. For more information on your specific case and how your body might respond to vaccines, speak with your doctor.

Stop the Spread

Limiting your risk of influenza involves simple, preventative measures. Some of the most basic tips for stopping the spread of germs which can cause the flu include:

Wash your hands: Do it more than you think you need to. Do it anytime you touch another person’s hands, or any common public surface. Keep hand sanitizer on your person in case soap and water aren’t available. Wash your hands even more if anyone around you has the flu or if you feel any minor symptoms.
Stay home when you’re sick: Be courteous to others when you’ve come down with a contagious virus like the flu. Don’t put your friends, family or coworkers at risk.
Cover up: Staying warm is never a bad thing when discussing flu prevention, but covering up also refers to your mouth and nose. If you’re sick and frequently coughing or sneezing, do so into your sleeve or a tissue rather than into an area where harmful particles might spread.
Don’t interact closely with other sick people.

Healthy Habits

As is always the case with the human body, basic health habits are a good first line of defense against many conditions, including the flu. It’s impossible to know exactly how much factors like a good diet, healthy amounts of exercise and consistent fluid intake prevent viruses like the flu, but they certainly don’t hurt. Try to get healthy amounts of sleep every night, and do your best to manage stress where possible. Smoking also increases your risk of flu.

Medication

Certain kinds of antiviral drugs can be recommended by a doctor, and in some cases they can have a real effect on preventing or limiting the duration of the flu virus. The best results are typically found when flu symptoms are recognized early and medication is taken within the first day or two of contracting the virus.

Antiviral drugs are not a replacement for flu vaccines. Drugs may help in several areas, but they have nowhere near the preventative power of a proper vaccine. Some antiviral medications may come with limited side effects, but this is rare.

Abe Tomco, MD

As a physician, I love helping people through stressful times when they may be sick or hurt. I want to be the kind of doctor that I would want for my own family. When a doctor takes the time to help their patients understand what is happening and what the plan is, a patient’s anxiety can be greatly reduced. The patient should receive all the information they need to be an equal partner in decision-making and feel empowered about caring for their body. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.