Flu Season and the Flu Vaccine Lawrence Andrade, MD

FLU SEASON AND THE FLU VACCINE

As we eagerly begin the fall season, enjoying the colder temperatures, leaves changing color, and the arrival of pumpkin spice everything, another annual occurrence looms. The beginning of the flu season will be upon us shortly, and in fact has already started in New Mexico. This season brings with it the yearly question, “Do I really need or want the flu vaccine?” The most common excuse to refuse the flu vaccine is, “Every time I get the flu vaccine, I catch the flu,” or “I get deathly sick because of the vaccine.” Serious reactions to the vaccine are rare, and it is impossible to contract influenza from the vaccine.

The influenza virus (flu) causes a respiratory (mouth, nose, throat, and lung infection for simplicity sake) infection. The virus is transmitted by respiratory droplets from sneezing or coughing and passed to another person who may touch a surface or even shake hands with another person who has the illness. The best way to avoid catching the flu is to always wash your hands and make sure to carry hand sanitizer with you at all times. Cover your mouth and nose if coughing or sneezing! Also, if you feel that you have the flu, the best advice is to stay home, and this means avoiding restaurants, grocery stores, school, and even church! If you do have the flu and cannot avoid going out in public, please wear a mask and get home as soon as possible!

The flu can be confused with a simple cold (viral upper respiratory infection) but has distinct characteristics. The flu is a sudden-onsetillness, which can literally begin so quickly patients often can remember the exact time symptoms begin. Symptoms of the flu include fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, runny nose, cough, headache, burning eyes, and fatigue, but the main complaint I have encountered in my years of practice are the body aches and burning eyes. I have had patients compare the flu to being run over by a truck or feeling like you have worked out and every muscle in your body is sore. If you experience these symptoms from now until the end of March, see your primary care doctor within 48 hours. Unfortunately, there is no immediate cure for the flu once you have it, but an antiviral medicine called Tamiflu can decrease symptoms by 2-3 days; after 48 hours the medicine is not recommended. If you

have the flu and are beyond that time frame, the best treatment is rest, rest, rest; drink plenty of fluids; take Tylenol or Ibuprofen for the fever and body aches; and homemade chicken soup always seems to help. These symptoms can last from 5-7 days, and it is essential that you limit contact with other people. For young children under the age of 5 and especially under the age of 2, persons older than 65, pregnant woman, and people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, COPD, cancer, and diabetes, it is important to follow up with your primary care provider to be monitored.

The flu can potentially be prevented if you receive a flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is an inactive (noninfectious) virus that helps the body make antibodies (defense mechanism) against the flu. I often hear people say, “The flu vaccine gives me the flu,” or “I caught the flu from the flu shot and it gave me vomiting and diarrhea.” The flu vaccine can sometimes cause a person to feel some body aches, a slight fever, or more commonly a sore arm, but this isn’t the flu. When a person does feel very ill after a flu shot that they received during the flu season, it is likely they were exposed to the flu virus prior to receiving the shot. Also, when a person says they had the “stomach flu” from the shot, this is an entirely different infection known as gastroenteritis and not the influenza virus. If you are thinking about skipping the flu vaccine, please remember the flu is still very dangerous: according to the CDC, in the 2017-2018 flu season there were 900,000 hospital stays related to the flu and 80,000 patients died from the flu and flu-related complications, including 180 children, a majority of whom were not immunized against the flu.

Please enjoy the fall season and the upcoming winter, but after ordering your pumpkin spice latte, make sure to get your flu shot. Flu shots are available at my office for $25 out of pocket or can be paid for by your insurance. It is imperative to get your flu shot now since it takes two weeks to have its full protective effect. The flu season runs from late October until March. Remember the flu can be prevented!

Lawrence Andrade, MD Diplomat American Board of Family Medicine Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine

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