Your nose looks as red as Rudolph’s, your head is spinning like a dreidel and you’re feeling as congested as holiday traffic. One moment you are chillin’ like Frosty, and the next you are as warm as a chestnut roasting on an open fire.
Either you drank too much eggnog, ate too many latkes or flu season has arrived.
Common Symptoms of the Flu
Influenza classically presents with the rapid onset of high fever, chills, body aches, headache, fatigue and dry cough. Respiratory symptoms usually follow, such as a sore throat, nasal congestion and a runny nose.
If you have been naughty, Santa may not bring you any presents, and you may also suffer from red eyes, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting. In young infants, influenza may come with complications such as croup, bronchiolitis, pneumonia or hospitalization.
Unlike the common cold, influenza can cause fevers that last for many days, and you may feel like you were run over by a reindeer. Some people may take weeks to recover their energy and feel like themselves. Influenza is no joke.
Grandma’s Chicken Soup and Other Remedies
The treatment of influenza is largely about keeping someone comfortable. Drinking fluids will help maintain hydration, while Tylenol or ibuprofen will help control fever and muscle aches. Over-the-counter cough and cold remedies may also help you feel more comfortable but will not help you recover any faster. Rest is essential. Scientific studies have actually shown that your grandmother’s chicken soup really is effective, and it tastes great, too.
If diagnosed early on, your doctor may recommend an antiviral medication, such as Tamiflu. If started early enough, Tamiflu may reduce the duration of symptoms by several days and make you less contagious to others. Tamiflu may also be given to close contacts as a way of preventing influenza once there has been an exposure.
Since influenza is a viral infection, antibiotics will not be effective in the treatment of primary influenza infection. If a secondary bacterial infection develops, such as an ear infection or pneumonia, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to help battle the bacterial infection.
Listen to Your Mom
How many times has your mom told you to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze, and to wash your hands after you blow your nose? Either your mom was formerly the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or is just really smart.
It turns out that influenza is spread by microscopic droplets from coughing and sneezing and from direct contact with snot and saliva. Frequent hand-washing is an effective way to minimize contagiousness to others.
A person is most contagious 24 hours before the onset of symptoms and during the most symptomatic periods. Shedding of the virus in nasal secretions (aka contagiousness) can continue for at least a week, sometimes longer in small children. The incubation period is generally one to three days from the time a person is exposed to the time that the fevers and aches begin.
Get Your Flu Vaccine
The influenza vaccine may be up to 80 percent effective in preventing influenza.
Traditional targets for the flu vaccine include individuals with chronic medical conditions. In recent years, it has been recommended that everyone 6 months or older receive the flu vaccine. The effectiveness of the flu vaccine has not been established for children younger than 6 months of age, so it is strongly recommended that all close contacts and family members receive the flu vaccine to help keep their young children better insulated from exposure.
Other recommended high-risk groups include the elderly, pregnant women, breastfeeding moms, close contacts and family members of high-risk individuals, and anyone else who works with or cares for children.
Children younger than age 9, who are receiving the flu vaccine for the first time, are encouraged to return for a booster shot one month later to help boost immunity.
It’s never too late to get the flu vaccine, so go out and get one today if you can.
Can the Flu Shot Cause the Flu?
No! The flu shot does not cause the flu.
Ahhh-choooo
Remember that not all that coughs, sneezes, aches and vomits are caused by influenza. You may still catch colds other than influenza because the flu vaccine only protects against certain strains of influenza.
If you want to prevent illness and avoid that “running-into-the-Festivus-pole-feeling,” then remember to cover your mouth and nose, wash your hands frequently, stay home when you are sick, get your flu vaccine and thank your grandmother for her delicious chicken soup.
— Dr. Dan Brennan is a board-certified pediatrician at Sansum Clinic and a Santa Barbara native who wishes you all a happy and healthy holiday season! He can be contacted at 805.563.6211, or click here for more information about Santa Barbara Pediatrics. The opinions expressed are his own.
