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Who is considered high-risk, according to the latest guidelines? |
The following groups are
more susceptible to
the flu or flu-related complications, and are strongly encouraged to
get a flu vaccine:
-
People over age 65,
especially those who have an underlying medical condition, such as
heart disease or diabetes, or who have weakened immune systems
-
Residents of
long-term care facilities
-
People with an
underlying medical condition
-
Children age
6 months
to 18 years
-
Pregnant women
-
Health-care workers
who have direct patient contact
-
Family members of
and out-of-home caregivers for children less than 6 months old
|
|
Where can I get the seasonal flu vaccine? |
Due to increased demands, the seasonal flu vaccine is
not readily available in Northern Kentucky at this time. Some doses may
become available through local pharmacies or doctors office. A seasonal
flu shot locator can be found at:
http://healthalerts.ky.gov/Pages/fluVaccineLocator.aspx. |
|
If
I am unable to get a flu vaccine, what can I do to keep from getting the
flu? |
Besides getting a flu vaccine, good hygiene can prevent the spread of
the flu. You should:
-
Cover your cough or
sneeze
-
Wash your hands
often with soap and water for 15-20 seconds or by using
alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers.
-
Avoid touching your
eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches an
object that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her
eyes, nose or mouth.
-
Avoid close contact
with people who are sick.
-
When you are sick,
stay home from work, school and errands. Keep your distance from
others to protect them from getting sick.
The Health Department is also encouraging people to get the
pneumonia vaccine
to help protect
against pneumonia, which is one of the most common complications from
flu.
|
|
What strains are protected against in this year’s vaccine? |
This year’s vaccine is effective against viruses containing the
A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like,
A/Brisbane/10/2007(H3N2)-like, and B/Brisbane/60/2008-like
antigens.
The vaccine is not effective against swine flu (H1N1). |
|
How do I know if I have a cold or the flu? |
The symptoms of a cold and the flu are similar and it can be difficult
to determine if you have a cold or the flu.
Typical
symptoms of a cold include:
Typical symptoms of the flu include:
-
Sudden headache
-
Dry cough
-
Runny nose
-
Sore throat
-
Muscle aches
-
Extreme fatigue
-
Fever up to 104°F
|
|
How is the flu spread? |
The flu is spread through droplets expelled from an infected person’s
nose or mouth. It can also be spread when you touch a surface that has a
virus on it (i.e. a door handle), and then you put that hand in your
eyes, nose or mouth.
|
|
I’ve been vaccinated against the flu. Can I still get it? |
The vaccine usually protects most people from the flu. People who have
been vaccinated may get the flu, but the symptoms will be milder. Flu
shots protect between 70 and 90 percent of the people who receive them.
The flu shots are designed to protect against certain strains. It may be
possible to become infected with a strain not included in this year’s
vaccine; however, experts believe that this year’s shot should provide
some protection against all strains that are predicted to affect our
area.
|
|
If
I’ve been exposed to the flu, how long will it take for symptoms to
develop?
|
The initial symptoms of flu can occur between one and four days after
exposure. |
|
What treatments are available for the flu? How serious is the disease? |
For the most part, the flu should be treated with bed rest and plenty of
liquids. You should also avoid alcohol and tobacco if you have the flu.
If contacted within the first two days, your doctor may be able to
provide you with medication that can decrease the length of the flu.
On average, over 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized because of
the flu and about 36,000 people die because of it each year.
|
|
How many cases of flu have been reported in Northern Kentucky? |
Between September
28, 2008 and September 15, 2009, Health Department have received 43 reports of culture confirmed
seasonal influenza and 743 reports of positive rapid influenza tests.
During the 2007-2008 flu season (October 2007-May 2008) a total of 92
cases of flu were confirmed by culture test, and 918 cases were
diagnosed by rapid test in Northern Kentucky.
|
|
What months are usually the peak season for flu? |
Cases of seasonal flu are not currently being reported in Northern
Kentucky. Flu cases at this time are most likely the swine flu (H1N1).
Typically the highest flu activity occurs in February or mid-March. Flu
activity is also usually heavy in December and March, but can peak as
late as April.
|
|
How many people typically get flu shots?
|
In
a typical year, 70 to 75 million Americans get vaccinated against the
flu. |
|
Where can I get more information on the flu? |
For more information online, you can visit the Centers for Disease
Control’s influenza Web site at
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/. Or, you can call the Health Department's
flu information line at 859.392.0678. For more information on vaccine
availability and locations in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
area, visit www.931shot.org. |
