As a conscientious flu objector, you got your shot in the arm in November.
But despite your influenza germ shield, you woke up in February with that got-hit-by-a-truck feeling.
Blame it on Brisbane.
Several states, including Pennsylvania, are in the midst of a flu outbreak, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 60 percent of the Pennsylvania cases, the virus was caused by the Brisbane strain, which was not covered by the three-strain-pronged vaccine developed by federal health officials, says Stacy Kriedeman, of the state health department.
"It's been pretty ugly," says Dr. Melissa Tribuzio, of Red Rose Pediatrics, Lancaster.
Lancaster now ranks fifth statewide for number of people per county with positive laboratory tests for influenza — 325 by the end of the week of Feb. 22 —and area hospitals report higher than average admissions for patients with the flu.
The CDC says the flu season usually continues through March or April.
"I saw 53 (flu) patients (Thursday)," says Dr. Howard Gerstein, of Stephen G. Diamantoni & Associates Family Practice, which has several county offices.
But the good news, both Gerstein and Tribuzio say, is that if you got the flu shot and the flu, the vaccine may still minimize the degree and length of symptoms.
"The (CDC's) big message for this year is that despite the wrong guess for the flu shot — the last time they guessed wrong was in the '70s — the shot is still the best line of defense," Gerstein says. "There's also some indication that the flu shot can decrease your susceptibility to nonflu viruses."
How not to get it
Fallible or not, the flu vaccine, first developed in the 1940s and available to anyone over the age of six months, tops the prevention recommendation list.
Tribuzio says she has seen cases where people who were vaccinated did not get the virus from other flu-affected family members.
The shot is particularly important for the elderly and people with chronic diseases and for people who come in contact with them.
Generally, the best time to get the shot is in October or November. Although the flu shot is still available, it takes two weeks for it to be effective, according to the Lancaster General Infection Control Department.
There are also many common-sense precautions you can take to combat germs, which can live on surfaces for several hours, even days.
Frequently wash your hands, either with soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand cleaner.
"I typically tell parents to carry around a bottle of hand sanitizer," Tribuzio says. "Kids touch everything, and the flu is transmitted through air droplets, so there are many potential sources of contamination."
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
Get plenty of rest, eat properly and dress appropriately for the weather.
Minimize time in crowded areas, and limit contact with those at high risk for the flu.
Do you have it?
Be prepared for symptoms that come on fast and furious.
Flu sufferers generally have a fever and complain of headache, extreme fatigue, a dry cough, a runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches.
"There was a commercial years ago that compared a cold to a toy train and the flu to a real train," Gerstein says.
A lab test to confirm the flu is usually not performed in a doctor's office, he says, since it is generally not covered by insurance.
But symptoms make the virus pretty diagnosable.
According to the CDC, 5 to 20 percent of the population develops the flu each year — predominantly in the fall and winter — usually within one to five days of exposure. The virus usually lasts two to seven days. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from complications, and 36,000 die.
Most people recover from the flu with little medical assistance.
But emergency intervention may be necessary in children who exhibit troubled breathing, bluish skin color, fever with a rash and extreme irritability, or have symptoms which improve but then return with fever and a worse cough.
Adults who have difficulty breathing, abdominal or chest pain or pressure, sudden dizziness, or severe or persistent vomiting should seek emergency care.
So you've got it. Now what?
After the vaccine, prescription antiviral medication, such as Tamiflu, is your best defense. Antivirals help stop the spread of the virus.
In order to be effective, antiviral medications must be used within the first 48 hours of symptoms.
If you get the flu, doctors recommend you stay home, get lots of rest and drink plenty of liquids.
Over-the-counter medications for fever, pain, congestion and cough can also be helpful.
Your best bet?
Attention to prevention.
Wash, wash, wash your hands.
And get the shot.
FLU SCARES
You think this season is bad?
In 1918 and 1919, the Spanish flu killed 20 to 50 million people worldwide and some 500,000 in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 1957, the Asian flu was blamed for the deaths of about 70,000 people in the United States — most of them elderly. The Hong Kong flu raced around the globe in 1968, killing 34,000 Americans.
A "pandemic scare" in 1976 for the "Swine flu" prompted a $135 million national immunization program, but a full-blown pandemic never developed.
NEED A FLU SHOT?
CONTACT: Call your health-care provider or (877) PA-HEALTH.
VISIT: www.health.state.pa.us/flu
CONTACT US: sjurgelski@LNPnews.com or 291-8756 