Flu season is upon us once again. As always, we can expect the virus to start going around come October, and end sometime in late May. The CDC recommends everyone to get vaccinated before October; however as long as the flu is going around it’s not too late. Immunity will set in about two weeks after vaccination and will last throughout the flu season for that year. It’s important for people of all age groups to know where and why to get vaccinated, especially those who fall into a “high risk” group including: seniors 65 years and older, children under 2, pregnant women, and anyone with serious medical conditions. Seniors weak immune systems make them the most susceptible to the virus. Last flu season almost 60% of flu-related hospitalizations were those 65 and older, proving to be the highest hospitalization rate among seniors since the CDC first began tracking data in 2005. A new vaccine has been developed for those 65 and older with a higher dosage that should result in a stronger immune response. If we encourage our elders to get vaccinated early, they could develop only a mild illness, rather than a serious one that could result in a hospital stay.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS:
Many signs of the flu are identical to those of the common cold. To assure your not looking past symptoms that could result in a flu virus, seek medical attention for you or a loved one when respiratory symptoms are present without a fever.
- fever
- cough
- sore throat
- runny/stuffy nose
- body aches
- headaches
- chills/fatigue
- vomiting/diarrhea
TREATMENT:
- Vaccine
- Antiviral medication available if and when the vaccination isn’t protecting high risk individuals from new strains, or when the flu virus is different from the vaccine virus.
WHERE TO GET VACCINATED:
- Wal-greens pharmacy
- CVS pharmacy
- Sam’s Club/Wal-Mart pharmacy
- Children 8 & under can only be given the vaccine shots at your local health department (Rock Island County Health Department) where it is free to those with Medicare part B, Illinois Medicaid card. Most Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Health Alliance, Actna, and Humana also accepted