Don't Catch the Bug This Year

The flu season is just around the corner. It is time to start thinking about ways to keep you and your family healthy.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 5% to 20% of the U.S. population gets the flu every year. Some people are more likely to get the flu than others; they are called an ‘at risk’ population. People who are considered at risk include:

• Children younger than 5 years old
• Pregnant women
• Healthcare workers
• Adults 65+ years old
• Adults and children who are in contact with high risk people
• Adults and children with conditions which weaken the immune system

Children are at risk for catching the flu. Many times children touch things in their environment without washing their hands. Later, another child touches the same object and does not wash their hands after handling the object. All the germs will be transferred to everything the child touches next including their face, eyes, and mouth. All three of these areas are vulnerable places for the flu virus to enter the body.

Prevention is the key to stopping the spread of the flu. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccine. A vaccine works by allowing your body to build immunity against a weakened or dead form of the flu virus before being exposed to a full strength virus. After getting a vaccine, it takes two weeks for your body to build up the antibodies.

There are two different types of vaccines available; a nasal version and a shot version. The nasal vaccine is a spray which is sprayed up your nose. The shot version is injected with a needle typical in your upper arm.

There are other ways to help prevent getting the flu which can be done daily. Washing your hands is very important. It is also important to watch children to make sure they are washing their hands. Children often touch their face, mouth, or nose which are three inlets for the flu virus to enter the body. By properly washing ones hands, the flu virus is killed. To wash your hands correctly, it is widely accepted that you must actively wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.

For some people, including children, it is easier to clean their hands with an alcohol based hand sanitizer. In a 2002 study by Girou et al. (2002), it was noted that most people have a stigma that hand sanitizers do not clean the hands as well as traditional soap and water. The same studied showed that hand sanitizers actually work better at cleansing hands than soap and water. The researchers believed hand sanitizer worked better because people do not wash their hands long enough to kill all the germs. Hand sanitizers were easier to use and killed the germs quicker than soap and water.

Even when you do your best to prevent catching the flu, there is a good chance that someone around you will get sick, or perhaps even you. It is, therefore, important to know the symptoms of influenza. The CDC lists symptoms which include the following, only to name a few:

• Fever
• Extreme tiredness
• Runny or study nose
• Chills

While you are sick, it is important to avoid contact with other people. Also it is important to cough and sneeze into a tissue or your elbow to avoid the spread of diseases. As always, wash your hands frequently in order not to spread germs to others.

There are many websites which you can visit to learn more information about the flu. WHACK the Flu a website which educates children ages pre-kindergarten through fifth grade about the flu with fun and interactive activities. For more information, check out the website at http://www.dhss.mo.gov/WHACK.

Feel free to leave any questions you may have or tips you may have!


Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Seasonal Influenza (Flu). Retrieved February 13, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov

Girou, E., Loyeau, S., Legrand, P. Oppein, F., Brun-Buisson, C. (2002). Efficacy of handrubbing with alcohol based solution versus standard handwashing with antiseptic soap: Randomized clinical trial [Electronic version]. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 325(7360), 362-365.