Flu season arrives after year of low cases

After a year of low cases of flu, the illness is back and right on time.

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“This is setting itself up to be more of a normal flu season,” Lynnette Brammer of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Associated Press.

So far, there have been two children who have died from the flu and hospitalization numbers attributed to influenza are rising.

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Seven states and the District of Columbia are seeing high flu activity according to the CDC — New Mexico, Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia and North Dakota.

The strain, Brammer told the AP, is one that causes severe cases for the elderly and very young and the flu shot may not fully protect people from the illness. The variation of the flu virus is slightly different than what the vaccine targets, but it is still too early to know how effective the shot will be.

“We’ll have to see what the impact of these little changes” will be, Bremmer told the AP. “Flu vaccine is your best way to protect yourself against the flu.”

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If you do come down with the flu, the treatment can include antivirals to prevent it from becoming severe, but the best way to beat the flu is prevention. Along with the shot, Brammer said to “cover your cough. Wash your hands. Stay home if you’re sick.”

Symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever or feeling feverish and chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle or body aches
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Vomiting and diarrhea (most common in children)

Usually, people will recover in a few days or less than two weeks, the CDC said. In some cases, people can get other conditions like pneumonia which is a result of the flu.

The flu will come on fast unlike a cold, which is gradual.

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