The Ekalaka Eagle - Your Community Builder

It’s that time of year… time to get your flu shot!

Influenza is a highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. Respiratory means it’s an issue with the lungs and breathing. Influenza (often called the flu) symptoms can be mild or severe. Symptoms start abruptly, not gradually. Some symptoms a person infected with the influenza virus could experience are fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, severe body or muscle aches, headache, and extreme fatigue. Some people may experience vomiting and diarrhea, this is more common in children than adults. I wonder if that is where the term “stomach flu” comes from. Most often when an adult or child has vomiting and diarrhea, it is not due to the influenza virus. If you know someone who is just vomiting and has diarrhea, they don’t have the influenza. They probably have some type of gastric virus. Most people will recover from influenza within 2 weeks. However, influenza can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia. These complications can lead to hospitalizations or even death.

The influenza virus is spread by water droplets from a contagious individual that are expelled when that person sneezes, coughs, or talks. Those droplets can land on a person up to six feet away. When those droplets get into that persons mouth or nose, they can contract influenza. There is also a possibility that contagious droplets that land on a surface can be picked up by an individual.

The best way to prevent getting influenza is by getting a flu vaccination! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend yearly influenza vaccinations as the most important step in protecting yourself and others against the flu. The flu vaccine can reduce the flu illness, doctor’s visits, missed work and school, and hospitalizations. For everyone six months and older, it is recommended to get a flu vaccine by the end of October. As of 9/14/2017, 14 cases of influenza A & B have already been reported in Montana. So, there’s no time like the present to get vaccinated!

Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but those around you. The very young (less than six months old) are too young to get vaccinated. The very old have weakened immune systems; even if they get the influenza vaccine, they may not build a high immune response and not be able to fully protect themselves from influenza. So, these populations need the people around them to be vaccinated to prevent them from getting influenza.

There are everyday preventative actions that can be done to stop the spread of the influenza virus and other germs. When you are sick, you should limit contact with others as much as possible to avoid spreading influenza. If you have a fever, stay home for 24 hours after your fever has resolved. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue if you sneeze or cough. Wash your hands with soap and water often, or use hand sanitizer if it is available. Avoid touching your mouth and eyes, as germs spread this way. Clean and disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated with the influenza virus or other germs.

Contact your local clinic or pharmacy to inquire about getting an influenza vaccine today!

Go to http://www.cdc.gov/flu for more information on influenza. Thanks for joining me again this month! If you have questions or comments, you can find me at Dahl Memorial Healthcare Association or you can email me at [email protected].