Influenza

Influenza (the Flu) information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC):

The Flu is a respiratory illness caused by a virus and spread from person to person by sneezing or coughing: Please use a tissue, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, and wash your hands -- excellent advice for controlling all contagious diseases. Vomiting and diarrhea are not symptoms of the Flu -- rather that is caused by a different organism and is unrelated to influenza, or the Flu (although we frequently mistakenly call it the flu also).

Prevention: Get your flu shot. Flu vaccine is available now and it is recommended that you receive it in October or November. This is relatively painless and contrary to comments you may have heard, does not give you the flu -- it cannot, as it is not a live virus.

Who is strongly recommended to be vaccinated? Anyone, but especially:

· Those 65 years of age and older.

· Residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities that house persons of any

age who have chronic medical conditions.

· Adults and children who have a chronic lung or heart conditions, including asthma,

· Adults and children who have required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization

during the preceding year because of chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes),

kidney dysfunction, hemoglobinopathies, or immunosuppression (including

immunosuppression caused by medications).

· Women who will be in their last trimester of pregnancy during flu season.

· Children and teenagers (6 months to 18 years) who are receiving long-term aspirin

therapy that might put them at risk for developing Reyes Syndrome after influenza

infection.

· People who live with or care for those in the above list.

· Because of the current concerns about possible anthrax exposure, some physicians are

suggesting that it will help in determining what your symptoms are caused by if you

have protected yourself against the flu, but have serious flu symptoms.

Treatment: If you think you have the Flu, please see your doctor as soon as possible, for there is treatment for the flu if treated in the first few days. The treatment will at the least shorten the length and decrease the severity of symptoms.

How to tell the difference between a cold and the flu:

Cold symptoms include: cough and stuffy nose but rarely include headache, loss of

appetite, muscle aches, fever, or serious fatigue.

Influenza symptoms include:

Fever of 100ºF -104ºF

Fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain

Loss of appetite, headache, and cough

The flu usually does not include the stuffy nose of a cold. There is no vomiting and diarrhea associated with the flu. People who have the flu are usually so tired they can do nothing but go to bed.