THE MINER
OCTOBER 29, 2014 |
1B
Living Well
‘Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands’ Flu season is here
BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Two simple steps can drastically reduce your chance of catching the flu this season, according to Dr. Sara Ragsdale, a physician at Family Health Center Newport, and a member of Newport Hospital’s Infection Control Committee. “Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. I cannot say that enough,” she said. Also, get your flu shot. The flu has not yet hit Pend Oreille or western Bonner counties, but will soon. Ragsdale explained that last year the area experienced a rather light flu season, and that doesn’t bode well for this season. Ragsdale “Sometimes after a light year, you get a really bad year,” she said. That’s her experience, anyway. “(It’s) a little concerning because there were lots of viral illnesses that went around but there were few actual influenza.” Some cases have been reported in Kootenai and Spokane counties this year. Ragsdale explained that the northwest is the last region of the U.S. to get the flu each year. It starts on the
east coast and travels west and south, arriving in the northwest later in the year. While the flu is widespread on the east coast already, the peak month here isn’t until late February or March, with diagnoses showing up as late as April. “That’s very different than other parts of the country,” Ragsdale said. While much of the country is focused on Ebola and how it can spread
‘Sometimes after a light year, you get a really bad year.’ Dr. Sara Ragsdale
Family Health Center Newport
through travel, Ragsdale points out the flu can spread the same way, and is much more deadly. Last year, 36,000 people died from the flu in the U.S. “They really should focus on that,” she said. People traveling back east and to other parts of the country can contract the flu and bring it home. Other than washing your hands, Ragsdale suggests getting the flu shot. And, no, it cannot make you sick. Ragsdale explained the flu shot contains a killed virus, so it cannot cause the flu. Some people have a bad
reaction to the preservatives in the flu shot, which can make them feel ill. Newport Hospital and Health Services has preservative-free shots available for those who have felt poorly after getting the flu shot in the past. Getting the flu shot isn’t a guarantee against getting sick either, though. Each year’s flu shots are developed in the spring, where developers have to guess which strands will be prevalent in the next year. Last year, Ragsdale said, the flu shot was 70 percent affective. And, every year includes vaccine against H1N1, which is important, she said. The flu shot only vaccinates against influenza. There are thousands of other viruses that can make you sick, and the shot takes about two weeks to build immunity up so it’s possible to become infected after getting it. “Sometimes you can get your flu shot and you can still get sick,” Ragsdale said. The flu doesn’t cause vomiting or upset stomach, that’s a different virus. The symptoms of flu are the sudden onset of fever, aches, a dry cough and a runny nose. “(People with the flu go from) well STOCK PHOTO
SEE HANDS, 8B
Dr. Ragsdale of Family Health Center Newport said the best defense against the flu, in addition to the flu shot, is washing your hands.