Ahhhh… Flu

We are at peak of the most germ-iest time of the year… FLU SEASON! Now I know we have this whole thing going on about the coronavirus, which don’t get me wrong, it’s terrifying. However, please do not forget our infectious and deadly friend, Influenza. The flu is an enveloped, single-strand RNA virus with a segmented genome. Having a segmented genome enables antigenic drift to occur, which are subtle mutation to the genes that allow your antibodies not recognize this organism because it constantly changing. THIS WHY YOU NEED TO GET THE FLU VACCINE EVERY YEAR PEOPLE, BECAUSE THIS VIRUS DOES NOT LOOK THE SAME EVERY YEAR!

The flu in a contagious respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat and lungs with the influenza virus. It causes mild to severe illness and may even lead to death. Some common flu symptoms may include cough, runny or stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, fatigue, and body aches. Some people, but not all people may experience fever/chills and some children may experience vomiting and diarrhea. The onset of symptoms from exposure and infection begins in about 2 days and people are most contagious in the first 3-4 signs and symptoms. The flu virus is primarily transmitted through droplet nuclei when people with the flu sneeze, cough or even talk. It is less common to contract the flu from fomites, but it is still possible. Please continue disinfect surfaces to minimize the spread of the virus and other germs.

People over the age of 65, people with certain chronic conditions, pregnant women and children under the age of 5 are at high risk of contracting the flu because they are immunocompromised. Children are more likely to get infected with the flu than people over 65. Fun fact: Children younger than 18 are more than twice more likely to develop a symptomatic flu infection than adults 65 and older.

The most important action you can take against influenza is to get the vaccine. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), recent studies have shown that getting the flu vaccination reduces the risk of getting the virus by 40% – 60% among the overall population during flu season when the circulating virus is well-matched with the vaccine. The current flu vaccines tend to work better on influenza B and influenza A(H1N1) viruses and have little protection from influenza A(H3N2) viruses. The CDC says there has been at “least 19 million flu illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from flu this season.” For this flu season, the more predominant virus is influenza B/Victoria viruses. There has not been enough data to determine the effectiveness of this year’s flu shot, however, it is still better to get vaccinated to prevent the flu and any other complications that come with it.

As Dr. Kramer always says… “It’s better to have little protection than no protection. Stop touching your face and wash your hands!”