Fight the Flu

Fight the Flu

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a respiratory infection that is highly contagious. It can spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs near you. You can also infect yourself by touching a phone, a doorknob, or other surface that is contaminated and then touching your nose, mouth, or eyes.

Being ill with the flu is a problem for anyone, but very young children, the elderly, or people with certain health issues are more susceptible to serious complications, including the development of bronchitis, sinus infections, or pneumonia. For high-risk individuals, those types of infections can be life-threatening.
 
Colds and the flu are both respiratory viruses with similar symptoms, so how do you tell the difference?

Symptoms	Flu	Cold
Onset begins	Quickly	slowly
Tired or weak	frequently	occasionally
Chills	frequently	occasionally
Fever	can last from 3-4 days	occasionally
Aches and pains	Common to severe	minor
Headache	frequently	rare
Stuffy nose	occasionally	frequently
Sneezing	occasionally	frequently
Sore throat	occasionally	frequently
Cough or chest irritation	can be severe	slight to moderate

Protect yourself by getting vaccinated annually because the strains of flu the vaccine covers change every year.
Prevention is best, but if you exhibit symptoms contact your doctor immediately. When caught early, there are antiviral medications that can reduce the duration and symptoms of the flu.

You can get a flu vaccine at any of our Primary Care locations and fight the flu.