Influenza is becoming an epidemic as flu season begins, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As flu cases become more common, the CDC is offering advice for people to help stay healthy through the season.
Officials from the CDC recommend that every person over the age of six months who is not allergic to flu shots should get inoculated against the disease. Each year, researchers need to make educated guesses about which varieties of the virus will be prevalent during the upcoming season. This year, the most common virus mutated, leaving vaccines less-effective against the illness than normal.
However, CDC officials state that even a poorly-matched vaccine is better than none at all when it comes to protecting against infection by influenza. During years when researchers have accurately identified the predominant strain of influenza in time to create a vaccine, inoculations prevent influenza around 60 percent of the time. When the vaccine is not matched well to the virus, protection drops to around 40 percent.
"Most people with the flu have mild illness and do not need medical care or antiviral drugs. If you get sick with flu symptoms, in most cases, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care," CDC officials recommend on their Web site.
At least 15 children have died of the flu so far this season, a number which was one of the triggers driving the CDC to label the current outbreak as an epidemic.
Influenza is usually marked by fever, cough, sore throat, headaches, body aches, chills, and fatigue. In severe cases, the victim can also experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Children, senior citizens, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions are considered to be at high risk for complications from influenza. People in these groups who feel like they are coming down the the disease should consult with a doctor. Those who are not members of these populations, and those people with mild symptoms, are being advised to avoid the emergency room, where they could spread the disease to others.
Anti-viral drugs can be prescribed by doctors to treat patients at the greatest risk from the disease. Others should stay home to treat their own disease with over-the-counter remedies, the agency recommends.
"CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or other necessities. Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol. You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings," the agency reported.
