Flu Information
Flu Shots
Preventing the Flu
Practice Good Health Habits:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick...stay away! When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. You are contagious the day before symptoms appear, and 7 days after your first symptoms.
- Stay home from work, school and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
- CLEAN YOUR HANDS. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Use hand sanitizers as frequently as possible.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
Cold or Flu? How to Tell the Difference:
Colds:
- The common cold is centered in the nose.
- The three most frequent symptoms of a cold are nasal stuffiness, sneezing, and runny nose.
- Throat irritation is often involved (but not with a red throat).
- Adults and older children with colds generally have minimal or no fever.
Infants and toddlers' fever in the 100 to 102 degree range. - Depending on which virus is the culprit, the virus might also produce a headache, cough, post-nasal drip, burning eyes, muscle aches or a decreased appetite.
- Within one to three days, the nasal secretions usually become thicker and perhaps yellow or green--a normal part of the common cold and not a reason for antibiotics.
Flu:
- With the flu, you are sick all over.
- Classically, the flu begins abruptly, with a fever in the 102 to 106 degree range, flushed face, body aches, and marked lack of energy.
- Some people have other systemic symptoms such as dizziness or vomiting.
- Somewhere between day 2 and day 4 of the illness, the "whole body" symptoms begin to subside, and respiratory symptoms begin to increase.
- The virus can settle anywhere in the respiratory tract, producing symptoms of a cold, croup, sore throat, bronchiolitis, ear infection, and/or pneumonia.
- The most prominent of the respiratory symptoms is usually a dry, hacking cough.
- Most people also develop a sore (red) throat and a headache.
- Nasal discharge and sneezing are not uncommon.
Treating the Flu:
- Rest
- Drink plenty of liquids
- Avoid using alcohol and tobacco
- Take medications to relieve the symptoms of flu (but never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms--and particularly fever--without first speaking to you doctor.)
- In some cases, your doctors may choose to use certain antiviral drugs to treat the flu (Influenza is caused by a virus, so antibiotics [like penicillin] don't work to cure it.)
For more information, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/flu.
For more specific school, student, and caregiver-specific information visit www.cdc.gov/flu/school.
