Focus on the flu, get your vaccination

Flu season has begun, yet there hasn’t been the normal concern for the virus that there usually is at this time of the year. For several months, Americans have been concerned with the threat of the Ebola virus.

Since the media announced that two Americans contracted Ebola while helping patients in Monrovia, Liberia, people have been in a panic about the virus spreading throughout the country. Although Ebola is serious in the Southwestern region of Africa, the chances of a person contracting it in the United States is low unless they have had direct contact with a person who has it.

According to the Associated Press, several disease experts ran Ebola simulations that predicted as few as “one or two additional infections by the end of 2014, to a worst-case scenario of 130.” In an interview, Dr. David Relman, professor of infectious disease, microbiology and immunology at Stanford University’s medical school, said it is possible that every major city will see a handful of Ebola cases, but there will not be a “huge outbreak.”

While Ebola is several thousand miles away, flu is right around the corner. Folks should focus their attention on the flu by taking measures to make sure they do not get sick.

According to the Spokane Regional Health District, the flu occurs most often in the fall and winter and peaks in February and March in Spokane County. Unlike Ebola, which spreads through exposure to blood or bodily fluids, the flu travels through the air. Adults can infect others one day before symptoms develop, and up to five days after becoming sick. Children can spread the virus for 10 or more days.

In the past, the flu was quite the killer. In 1918, a version of it called “The Spanish Flu,” killed between 20-100 million people worldwide, according to the article “Transmissibility of 1918 pandemic influenza.” In 2009 the pandemic involving the H1N1 influenza virus — also known as swine flu — killed over 18,000 people.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there were 1,583 laboratory-confirmed flu hospitalizations from Oct. 1 to Dec. 28, 2013. Since Sept. 28, the CDC has reported 320 positive cases of the flu this year.

Although technology has helped doctors create vaccines, the virus is still deadly, particularly to small children and the elderly. It can also be severe for pregnant women and people with certain health conditions. The flu mutates frequently and a person is not immune to it, even if they had it in the past.

The most effective way to fight the virus is by getting a flu shot, which you can get at most grocery stores and pharmacies. The health district recommends that everyone, age six months and older get a vaccination every year.

People age 9 and over only need a single shot, while children from 6 months to 8 years may need two doses. The health district also recommends a higher-dose vaccine for people 65 years and older. This dose creates a stronger immune system response.

Flu vaccinations are free or cheap depending on where you go. The vaccine takes about eight to 10 days after a single dose for the vaccine to create a strong immune response in most healthy adults.

Some people have fears about getting a flu shot, one being that the vaccination gives you the flu. According to the health district, the vaccination only contains proteins from the flu virus, however the virus cannot reproduce itself.

Another fear of flu vaccines is the possible side effects. According to the health district, there are some mild effects to the vaccination, which include soreness, redness, tenderness, or swelling where the shot was given.

Headaches, muscle aches, fever and nausea are also side effects from the vaccine. The side effects last 1-2 days after the person receives the shot. Fainting is a side effect among adolescents.

Although the vaccination can help in fighting the flu, it is not 100 percent foolproof.

If you are sick or you’re experiencing flu-like symptoms, the CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours. If your symptoms are severe, you should contact your doctor, nurse or clinic as soon as possible.