Monthly Topic of Interest
Staying Healthy: What you should know about the Flu and the Flu Vaccine
October 2007
It’s that time of the year again, yes, it’s the Flu season. For individuals diagnosed with Alpha-1, Flu season is a time to be especially diligent about your health. Prevention is the key, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Alphas, those living with and/or caring for Alphas, get vaccinated yearly! You’ll want to know all you can about the Flu, stay alert for it’s signs and symptoms and avoid exposure to individuals who are ill, whenever possible. For Alphas, it’s all about staying healthy!
In the following section we’ve provided some valuable information about the Flu extracted from the CDC Seasonal Flu website.
Key Facts about Seasonal Influenza (Flu)
What is Influenza (Also Called Flu)?
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year.
Every year in the United States, on average:
- 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
- more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and;
- about 36,000 people die from flu.
Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications.
Symptoms of Flu
Symptoms of flu include:
- fever (usually high)
- headache
- extreme tiredness
- dry cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- muscle aches
- Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults
Complications of Flu
Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.
How Flu Spreads
Flu viruses spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.
Preventing Seasonal Flu: Get Vaccinated
The single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get a flu vaccination each year.
Anyone Can Get the Flu, but the Disease Is More Severe for Some People
Most people who get influenza will recover in a few days to less than 2 weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu. Millions of people in the United States — about 5% to 20% of U.S. residents — will get influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and more than 200,000 have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. People age 65 years and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more likely to get complications from influenza. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu. The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.
The Flu Season
In the Northern hemisphere, winter is the time for flu. In the United States, the flu season can range from November to as late as May. During the past 24 flu seasons, months with the heaviest flu activity (peak months) occurred in November one season, December four seasons, January five seasons, February ten seasons, and March four seasons.
What You Should Do If You Get the Flu
- Rest
- Drink plenty of liquids
- Avoid using alcohol and tobacco
- Take medication to relieve the symptoms of flu
Influenza is caused by a virus, so antibiotics (like penicillin) don’t work against influenza. However, bacterial infections can occur at the same time or follow an influenza infection. The best way to prevent the flu is to get an influenza vaccine each fall, before flu season. October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but getting vaccinated in December or even later can still be beneficial since most influenza activity occurs in January or later in most years.
Your doctor may recommend use of an antiviral medication to help treat the flu. These are prescription medications, and a doctor should be consulted before the drugs are used. Antiviral treatment lasts for 5 days and must be started within 2 days of illness. Therefore, if you get flu-like symptoms, seek medical care early.
Do Not Give Aspirin to a Child or Teenager Who Has the Flu
Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms – and particularly fever – without first speaking to your doctor. Giving aspirin to children and teenagers who have influenza can be associated with a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome. Children or teenagers with the flu should get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and take medicines that contain no aspirin to relieve symptoms.
The Myth of the “Stomach Flu”
Many people use the term “stomach flu” to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhea, and being nauseous or “sick to your stomach” can sometimes be related to the flu – particularly in children – these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.
MYTH - “The flu isn’t a serious disease.”
FACTS - Influenza (flu) is a serious disease of the nose, throat, and lungs, and it can lead to pneumonia. Each year about 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die because of the flu. Most who die are 65 years and older. But small children less than 2 years old are as likely as those over 65 to have to go to the hospital because of the flu.
MYTH - “The flu shot can cause the flu.”
FACTS - The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some people get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot. It goes away in a day or two. Serious problems from the flu shot are very rare.
MYTH - “The flu shot does not work.”
FACTS - Most of the time the flu shot will prevent the flu. In scientific studies, the effectiveness of the flu shot has ranged from 70% to 90% when there is a good match between circulating viruses and those in the vaccine. Getting the vaccine is your best protection against this disease.
MYTH - “The side effects are worse than the flu.”
FACTS - The worst side effect you’re likely to get from a flu shot is a sore arm. The nasal mist flu vaccine might cause nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and cough. The risk of a severe allergic reaction is less than 1 in 4 million.
MYTH - “Only older people need a flu vaccine.”
FACTS - Adults and children with conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease need to get a flu shot. Doctors also recommend children 6 months and older get a flu shot every year until their 5th birthday.
MYTH - “You must get the flu vaccine before December.”
FACTS - Flu vaccine can be given before or during the fluseason. The best time to get vaccinated is October or November. But you can get vaccinated in December or later.
Other Medications
In addition to the information provided above by the CDC, in this section we provide information regarding two other important medications related to the Flu. This information is extracted from AlphaNet’s “Big Fat Reference Guide”, the most comprehensive guide to living with Alpha-1 anywhere.
FluMist
There is a new form of flu vaccine called FluMist®. Instead of receiving this as a shot or injection, it is sprayed into each nostril. It also differs from a standard flu shot in that it is made from live attenuated virus (virus that has been modified to cause much less severe infection) while the standard flu shot is made from killed virus. As with the standard flu shot, you should not use it if you are allergic to eggs or egg products. Unlike the standard flu shot, FluMist is not recommended for use in individuals with asthma or other pulmonary diseases. In addition, if you have close contact with someone who has received the FluMist vaccine you can become infected with the virus in FluMist. Therefore it is recommended that FluMist not be used in Alphas with lung disease and in family members and other people who have close contact with Alphas with lung disease.
Pneumonia vaccine (Pneumovax)
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the bacteria responsible for causing pneumococcal pneumonia disease in adults and children. The infection begins with a high fever, cough, and stabbing chest pains, and is one of the most common causes of death in the United States. This pneumonia accounts for one-quarter to one-third of all the pneumonias leading to hospitalization, and is also responsible for 7,000 to 13,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all individuals between the ages of 2 and 64 who have chronic cardiovascular disease (including congestive heart failure), chronic pulmonary disease (e.g., emphysema), or diabetes. Having asthma alone is not an indication for routine pneumococcal vaccination, unless it occurs along with chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or long-term systemic corticosteroid use. However, people with obstructive lung disease should be vaccinated regardless of its cause. According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and the ACIP, a one-time re-vaccination with Pneumovax®-23 is currently recommended for the adults:
- Who are at the highest risk for developing a fatal pneumococcal infection
- Who did not experience a severe reaction to the initial vaccination
- Who were previously vaccinated with Pneumovax more than five years ago. Re- vaccination is not required for individuals who were vaccinated less than five years ago.
For more information on the Flu and the Flu vaccine, check with your healthcare provider or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) or go to www.cdc.gov/flu or go to the AlphaNet homepage and click on “BFRG.”