Category: Flu

It’s A Good Time to Get Your Flu Vaccine

While the U.S. remains focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to also be aware of flu season as we approach winter. Influenza (flu) viruses typically spread in fall and winter, with activity peaking between December and February. Getting vaccinated now can lower your chances of getting the flu. Flu is a serious disease, caused… Continue reading It’s A Good Time to Get Your Flu Vaccine

Worry About COVID-19, but Don’t Forget to Get a Flu Shot

Since March, many of us have been consumed, rightfully so, by the Covid-19 pandemic. Months later, the virus continues to dictate our lives. But, as summer moves into fall, should we also start worrying about the flu? According to Dr. Daren Wu, Chief Medical Officer at Open Door Family Medical Center, protection against the flu… Continue reading Worry About COVID-19, but Don’t Forget to Get a Flu Shot

Are You at High Risk for Flu and Its Complications?

Most people who get sick with flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs and will recover in less than two weeks. Some people, however, are more likely to get flu complications that can result in hospitalization and sometimes death. Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections are examples of… Continue reading Are You at High Risk for Flu and Its Complications?

10 Simple Ways to Avoid the Flu Bug

The holidays of 2018 have come and gone and, as many of us go back to work and are again surrounded by sniffling and coughing people, giving and receiving the ‘gift’ that keeps on giving: The flu. While it’s important to remember that ‘tis still the season for colds and flu, the good news is… Continue reading 10 Simple Ways to Avoid the Flu Bug

Avoid the Flu During Holiday Travel

If you’ve ever traveled during the holidays, you know how stressful it is. Last year an estimated 107.3 million travelers hit the road between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1, and there’s no reason to think this year will be different. And crowds like that mean you’ve got a really good chance of getting the flu… Continue reading Avoid the Flu During Holiday Travel

How Healthcare Providers Can Keep Patients Safe from The Flu

The summer months are coming to end, school is beginning… which means the flu season is looming and providers must find better tactics to help prevent its spread. While it may feel strange to talk about the flu while it is still warm in much of the country, this is the most important time of… Continue reading How Healthcare Providers Can Keep Patients Safe from The Flu

A New Weapon in The Fight Against Flu

The use of far ultraviolet C (far-UVC) light can kill airborne flu viruses without harming human tissues, researchers say. And the investigators, from the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), say their findings suggest that such light could be used in hospitals, schools, airports and other public spaces to provide… Continue reading A New Weapon in The Fight Against Flu

What Do Your White Blood Cells Have to Do With the Flu?

As part of your annual physical, your doctor may order a complete blood count (CBC) to evaluate your overall health. This is a very important test that measures your white blood cells. Your white blood cells play a critical role in your fight against the flu and other viruses and infections. Think of your white… Continue reading What Do Your White Blood Cells Have to Do With the Flu?

15 Doctor Recommended “To Do’s” to Fight the Flu

As we head into flu season there are many things we can do to “flu proof” ourselves. Regardless of whether you choose to get a flu vaccine or not, there are things YOU can do to heighten Your chances of not getting sick this winter. Here is a comprehensive list of 15 to do’s to… Continue reading 15 Doctor Recommended “To Do’s” to Fight the Flu

5 Flu-Fighting Foods

American Family Care, the nation’s leading urgent care provider, shares strategies to avoid the flu in the coming months. Besides getting your flu shot, they say, eating these five foods can help ward off the pesky ailment: GARLIC Garlic contains allicin, a compound that is known to boost immunity. You can crush, slice or chew… Continue reading 5 Flu-Fighting Foods

Using Twitter to Track the Flu in Real Time

“This flu is horrendous. Can’t breathe, can’t sleep or eat. Muscles ache, fever 102. Should have gotten the shot. Time for a movie marathon.” The above tweet looks like 140 characters of misery. But in the hands of Northeastern University’s Alessandro Vespignani and his colleagues, it is so much more. A release from the university… Continue reading Using Twitter to Track the Flu in Real Time

A Little Nudge May Provide a Big Boost to Flu Vaccination Rates

Currently, only 44 percent of adults in the United States receive an annual flu vaccination. Though the rate has increased in recent years, the change has been slow and marginal. However, a study done at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in March 2017 in the Journal of… Continue reading A Little Nudge May Provide a Big Boost to Flu Vaccination Rates

Get Set for a Healthy Winter

Here, experts from the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share tips on how you can get through the cold-weather season while doing what you need to avoid colds and flu. Although contagious viruses are active year-round, we’re most vulnerable to them in fall and winter. That’s because, in large part, we spend more time… Continue reading Get Set for a Healthy Winter

It’s Not Too Late to Get Your Flu Shot

Meant to get vaccinated in the fall to ward off the flu, but somehow didn’t get around to it? Think it’s too late to get vaccinated now? Not so. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), vaccinations can be protective as long as flu viruses are circulating. And although seasonal flu outbreaks can happen… Continue reading It’s Not Too Late to Get Your Flu Shot

High-Dose Flu Vaccine: Is It Always Better?

People over 65 are often offered a standard vaccine or a high-dose version. But a new study has found that the higher dosage is effective only for people 85 and older. A new study from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found that for those between age 65 and 84, the standard vaccine works just… Continue reading High-Dose Flu Vaccine: Is It Always Better?

Tamiflu Gets Patients Back on Their Feet Faster

Early in January 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of antiviral drugs to help treat influenza in a year when the available vaccine is not a good match for the current strain. Now, new evidence about a popular antiviral often criticized as ineffective shows that it can alleviate symptoms and… Continue reading Tamiflu Gets Patients Back on Their Feet Faster