Did you know that according to the National Institutes of Health, 5 to 20 percent of you will get the flu, with about 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths annually in the U.S.? Influenza, or the “flu,” is the sixth-leading fatality in American adults. Serious stuff.
What is all the fuss about the flu?
Influenza is a viral respiratory infection often mistaken for other illnesses, such as a cold. Typically, the flu occurs in the colder months of the year and is easily spread among groups in hospitals, schools and nursing homes. Workplaces with cube farms are wonderful incubators for these viral infections.
Some flu trivia for you that could be helpful in close quarters. The influenza virus lives on hard, nonporous surfaces for up to 48 hours, so spraying antibacterial cleaners may be helpful. On tissues and other porous materials, the virus could remain viable for up to 12 hours. At human body temperatures, the life span of influenza is a week and can remain viable indefinitely at below freezing temperatures.
Though the common cold and flu have symptoms in common, such as a sore throat and a runny nose, colds typically develop slowly while the flu comes on suddenly enough that you feel bad immediately.
Complications from the influenza virus can affect anyone, but older adults, young children, pregnant women, those fighting chronic illnesses and those with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable.
Rampant influenza can lead to bacterial infections such as bronchitis, ear and sinus infections, and, in rare cases, pneumonia.
How do you get the flu?
In our society, it is common to shake hands upon greeting a friend. In the flu season, this could transmit viral illnesses from one person to another.
Though it is difficult to tell who is contagious before the onset of symptoms, here are some virus timelines. You can pass on the influenza virus one to four days before you show any symptoms. Symptoms may not show up for days, which means you could be infectious before you show any signs of illness. You could be contagious up to 10 days into your illness.
Influenza Symptoms
Sudden onset of symptoms such as loss of appetite, fatigue, high fever and a non-productive, dry cough typically indicate influenza. Other ailments include headache, sore throat, adverse effects on eyesight, cold sweats, fever between 100.4 degrees F to 104 degrees F that comes and goes, and severe back, arm or leg pain in one or both limbs. These symptoms often are accompanied by body aches and chills. Complete recovery from these symptoms could take as long as two weeks, perhaps more. Overcoming fatigue could take much longer.
Though the symptoms listed above are serious, there are severe complications that may accompany the flu. These include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, worsening of condition, congestive heart failure, asthma and diabetes. For children, these complications might involve sinus problems, earaches and infections.
Special Dangers For the Elderly People, Children and the Immune-Compromised
Young children, adults older than 65, pregnant women, those fighting long-term illnesses and those with impaired immune systems should avoid contact with people or crowds that may expose them to the influenza virus. This applies to people with lung and heart diseases, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer treatments, and any illness that lowers your immune response, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a breathing illness.
Preventive Treatments
Government agencies and health experts both recommend a yearly flu shot as the best preventive against influenza. Once you get a flu vaccination, it will take two weeks to kick in fully. Those who can should get a flu immunization as soon as possible. There are two types of influenza shots--one is a fluid sprayed in the nose, and the other is an immunization shot.
The nasal spray is a live virus, so it is not given to those with compromised immune systems, people with lung disease, those who are pregnant, and those with breathing problems or those younger than 20 who take aspirin products.
The flu shot is an inactive form of the influenza virus. Flu immunizations result in fewer missed workdays, fewer visits to the doctor’s office and reduce the severity of symptoms, ultimately decreasing the number of people who would develop complications like pneumonia. Shots are effective in 70 to 90 percent of people who are younger than 65. According to a report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, there is a 50 percent less chance of infants catching the flu if Mom got a flu shot while pregnant.
Though anecdotal evidence may claim otherwise, the shot does not cause the flu in those who are vaccinated. And because influenza strains mutate cyclically, plan on getting a shot every year, or you may succumb to a mutated flu strain next year.
Try Home Treatments
The very first, universal tenet for home treatment of the flu -- and there are those out there who would beg to differ -- is to keep your butt at home, in bed, if at all possible. Truly. This helps prevent the spread of influenza to your coworkers. If the fever bothers you, sponge off with lukewarm water, not cold water or with ice cubes. Drink plenty of fluids. Try over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain and a cough suppressant to stop the dry, hacking cough you may have. Avoid smoking and second-hand smoke.
Other tips include: eating healthy, though your appetite may be diminished; gargling with warm salt water to alleviate a sore throat; cutting back on exercise; using a cold-mist humidifier to help decongest sinuses; and getting seven to eight hours of sleep – your body could use it.
Finally, personal hygiene tips are in order. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. If this is not possible, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. When sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or the crook of your elbow. And avoid crowds, if possible.
Now that you’ve learned about the flu and how to avoid it, practice good hygiene, and you may be able to make it through the flu season without catching anything. If you do get ill, there are strategies you can follow to reduce or alleviate symptoms. Just because it is flu season doesn’t mean you will catch the bug.