Healthy Living: Protection from the Flu
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: January 10, 2013
A lot of Americans are spending this first week of the new year flat on their backs, taken down by the flu in numbers we typically wouldn't see until much later in the winter.
And according to the Centers for Disease Control, those numbers are rapidly climbing with the peak no where in sight.
This year's flu strain appears to be a particularly nasty one, and has even proven deadly in a handful of cases involving the young.
Doctors report seeing people with very high fever, severe body aches, nasal congestion and cough.
They say the best defense remains the flu vaccine.
It's not perfect, but it's the best option and there is still time to get one.
In the meantime, experts strongly urge sick people to stay home from work.
The virus is often transmitted by coughs and sneezes, but it can live on the surfaces we touch, and there are a lot, for up to eight hours. This is why frequent hand washing is so important.
One last thing, if you're allergic to eggs, talk with your doctor before getting the vaccine because you could have a negative reaction to it.
And according to the Centers for Disease Control, those numbers are rapidly climbing with the peak no where in sight.
This year's flu strain appears to be a particularly nasty one, and has even proven deadly in a handful of cases involving the young.
Doctors report seeing people with very high fever, severe body aches, nasal congestion and cough.
They say the best defense remains the flu vaccine.
It's not perfect, but it's the best option and there is still time to get one.
In the meantime, experts strongly urge sick people to stay home from work.
The virus is often transmitted by coughs and sneezes, but it can live on the surfaces we touch, and there are a lot, for up to eight hours. This is why frequent hand washing is so important.
One last thing, if you're allergic to eggs, talk with your doctor before getting the vaccine because you could have a negative reaction to it.
