Flu Season is Approaching

 

Each year, around this time, people start thinking about flu season. But it’s not just one type of flu that should be on your mind. There are actually several flu types that circulate each year and they are referred to as seasonal flu. The seasonal flu can vary in severity from year to year, depending on which strain is being spread. The timing of the beginning and end of the flu season is very unpredictable. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S. in January or February. However, seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and continue to occur as late as May.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccination for most individuals six months and older. The CDC considers this the most important step in protecting against this serious disease. Most of the flu vaccine offered for the 2013-2014 season will be trivalent. This means it’s designed to protect against the three influenza viruses that experts predict will be most common during the upcoming season. Currently the three most common flu viruses in circulation are:

Influenza A (H1N1), Influenza A (H3N2), and Influenza B viruses. In addition to the seasonal flu, there are two flu types which have the attention of the CDC as well as the media: Avian Flu and Swine Flu.

The most recent strain of Avian Flu is referred to as H7N9. According to the evidence, infected poultry or contaminated environments are the cause of most infections. At this time there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this virus and no cases have been reported outside of China. Currently the risk of contracting H7N9 in the United States is low. The CDC is closely monitoring cases of H7N9 in China for any changes. The CDC is also taking steps in case H7N9 becomes transmissible from human-to-human.

University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Yoshihiro Kawaoka studied two samples of the H7N9 flu virus from patients in China. His research found that H7N9 can infect monkeys and ferrets and replicate in both kinds of animals. In monkeys, the virus infected cells in the upper and lower respiratory tracts - a cause for concern because most human flu viruses infect only the upper airway.

In addition, one of the H7N9 samples was spread through the air among ferrets, whose response to the flu is thought to mimic that of humans. Most bird flu viruses (including the H5N1 bird flu that has worried health officials for years) don’t do that.

Dr. Kawaoka’s study also produced some good news: The H7N9 strains were somewhat sensitive to drugs used for seasonal flu.

The most recent strain of Swine Flu threatening this year is H3N2v. The symptoms of H3N2v include fever, sore throat, cough and body aches. According to the CDC, no sustained human-to-human spread of the virus has been detected, though sporadic limited spread of this virus has occurred in the past. The spread of the flu virus from pigs to humans is thought to occur through droplets produced by sneezing and coughing pigs.

Good personal hygiene and common sense help to prevent exposure to the flu virus. Here are some other tips that can help you remain flu-free this season:

• Avoid close contact with people who exhibit flu symptoms.
• If you are sick with flu-like symptoms, stay home to prevent spreading the illness.
• Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing, or wear a respirator.
• Wash your hands with soap and warm water, or use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid the urge to touch your eyes, nose and mouth.
• To further prevent the spread of flu germs, disinfect common surfaces often, when someone is ill.

Another way to protect yourself from the flu is to focus on a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritiously, drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of sleep.