As the United States faces one of its worst flu seasons in recent years, health care professionals recommend taking extra precautions to prevent the virus.
“The number of cases is higher than expected and cases were reported earlier than usual,” Director of Student Health Services, Dr. Joanne Steane said.
During the last week of January, 42 states reported a widespread flu virus activity, including Wyoming, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Each year the number and types of flu viruses vary; however, Steane says that the symptoms are typically the same, including high fever, a cough, sore throat and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting.
While Steane and other health care professionals recommend getting flu shots, she says vaccinations do not always prevent the flu.
“Flu shots do not fully prevent you from getting the flu,” Steane said. “But if you do get a shot and still get the flu then it tends to be a milder form.”
According to the CDC, there are number of reasons people can still get the flu after getting vaccinated, including being exposed to the virus shortly before getting vaccinated and being exposed to a virus that is not covered by the seasonal vaccine. In some cases, people can still get the flu even if they have been properly vaccinated, as the CDC says the vaccinations typically work best on young and healthy adults.
Another yearly concern is whether the flu vaccination protects patients from the flu viruses that are actually circulating. However, the CDC said that 91 percent of the flu viruses that were circulating in 2013 were covered by this season’s vaccine.
The CDC reported that while there are still a high number of cases, this year’s vaccines have reduced visits to the doctor by about 60 percent for people who have come down with the flu. One of the concerns for this season was that there would be a shortage of Tamiflu, a medication that people can take to help with their symptoms, however, these shortages can be common and usually do not create too much of a problem.
While getting vaccinated does reduce one’s chances of getting the flu, Steane recommends taking other precautions as well.
“Some of the best ways prevent getting the flu are good hand washing, using hand sanitizer, and trying to avoid people who are already ill,” Steane said. “Another way to prevent the spreading of germs is to cough into your elbows instead of your hands.”
