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Important Influenza (Flu) Prevention Information

Posted on: January 18, 2018 - 12:19pm

It is important that we all take steps to prevent flu from spreading, including getting a flu shot because it is among the best protection we have."

As a reminder, DPH recommends that people:

  • Get the flu vaccine as soon as possible
  • Wash their hands thoroughly and regularly, or use hand sanitizer
  • Cover their coughs and sneezes
  • Stay home when they are sick with fever and cough or sore throat, if possible
  • Talk to their healthcare provider if they think they have the flu, especially if they have health concerns that make them more likely to develop severe illness when sick with the flu. The doctor may prescribe antiviral medications, which work best when started early in the course of illness.

The most common symptoms of flu are a fever accompanied by a cough or sore throat. Symptoms can also include body aches, headache, chills, runny nose and feeling very tired. Some people, especially young children, also have diarrhea and vomiting. Symptoms last from a few days to up to a week or more.

Flu can be very serious. Every year in the United States, millions of people get the flu, hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized and thousands or tens of thousands of people die from flu-related illnesses. Some people are at higher risk of serious health problems when they get the flu. This includes pregnant women, infants, the elderly and people with medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, neurological and neuromuscular conditions and weakened immune systems. The flu vaccine takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against flu virus infection.

The flu virus is spread through droplets of saliva and mucus from the nose and mouth of someone who coughs or sneezes. If you are close enough to a person with the flu (3-to-6 feet) when they cough or sneeze, you can breathe in the virus and get sick. Flu symptoms start 1-4 days (usually 2 days) after a person breathes in the virus.
The flu virus can also live for a short time on things you touch, such as doorknobs, phones and toys. After you touch these objects, you can catch the virus when you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes. Adults with flu can spread it from about one day before symptoms appear to about one week after. Children can spread the flu even longer after they get sick.

For more information about influenza, visit here.

For questions, call your healthcare provider, or DPH at (617) 983-6800.