Get Set for Winter Illness Season

Colds and Flu

Most respiratory bugs come and go within a few days, with no lasting effects. However, some cause serious health problems. Although symptoms of colds and flu can be similar, the two are different.

Colds are usually distinguished by a stuffy or runny nose and sneezing. Other symptoms include coughing, a scratchy throat, and watery eyes. No vaccine against colds exists because they can be caused by many types of viruses. Often spread through contact with mucus, colds come on gradually.

Flu comes on suddenly, is more serious, and lasts longer than colds. The good news is that yearly vaccination can help protect you from getting the flu. Flu season in the United States generally runs from November to April.

Flu symptoms include fever, headache, chills, dry cough, body aches, fatigue, and general misery. Like colds, flu can cause a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. Young children may also experience nausea and vomiting with flu.

Prevention Tips

• Get vaccinated against flu. Flu complications cause an average of 36,000 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  
  Flu vaccine, available as a shot or a nasal spray, remains the best way to prevent and control influenza. The best time to get a flu vaccination is from October through November, although getting it in December and January is not too late. A new flu shot is needed every year because the predominant flu viruses change every year.
  
  Everyone—children, adolescents, adults, and elderly people—should be vaccinated.
  
  Certain people are more at risk for developing complications from flu; they should be immunized as soon as vaccine is available. These groups include:
  - people 65 and older
  - residents of nursing homes or other places that house people with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and heart disease
  - adults and children with heart or lung disorders, including asthma
  - adults and children who have required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization during the preceding year because of chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes), kidney dysfunction, a weakened immune system, or disorders caused by abnormalities of hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen)
  - young people ages 6 months to 18 years receiving long-term aspirin therapy, and who as a result might be at risk for developing Reye's syndrome after being infected with influenza (See aspirin information in the section "Taking OTC Products.")

Also, flu vaccination for health care workers is urged because unvaccinated workers can be a primary cause of outbreaks in health care settings.

Talk to your doctor before getting vaccinated if you have certain allergies, especially to eggs; have an illness, such as pneumonia; have a high fever; or are pregnant.

• Wash your hands often. Teach children to do the same. Both colds and flu can be passed through coughing, sneezing, and contaminated surfaces, including the hands. CDC recommends regular washing of your hands with warm, soapy water for about 15 seconds.
• Try to limit exposure to infected people. Keep infants away from crowds for the first few months of life. This is especially important for premature babies who may have underlying abnormalities such as lung or heart disease.
• Practice healthy habits.
  - Eat a balanced diet.
  - Get enough sleep.
  - Exercise. It can help the immune system better fight off the germs that cause illness.
  - Do your best to keep stress in check.

Also, people who use tobacco or who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more prone to respiratory illnesses and more severe complications than nonsmokers.

Information in this article from: FDA US Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov)