What Can You Do to Fight the Flu?

Medicines and Home Treatments

There are plenty of things you can do to cut down your chances of getting the flu. An annual flu shot, good hand washing practices reducing your contact with people who are infected with the flu can all go a long way to keeping you healthy. If those fail, several medications are now available to treat the flu. The trick? You have to start taking them within 48 hours of being infected.

Amantadine and Rimantadine

Amantadine (Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine) are effective in curtailing influenza A infections and may even stop secondary complications-a boost for high risk groups such as young children, the elderly, and the chronically ill. They both interfere with the virus's ability to replicate once inside a cell. In clinical tests they were found to shorten the flu illness by 24 to 36 hours. The drawback to both drugs is their administration: They need to be taken within 48 hours of symptom onset to be effective and must be taken for five full days, even after your symptoms have abated. If you stop sooner, your symptoms may return. Both are available only by prescription.

Neuraminidase inhibitors

Two other drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors-zanamivir (Relenza), inhaled orally, and oseltamivir (Tamiflu), taken orally twice a day for five days-can shorten the duration of the flu by 24 to 36 hours. They interfere with the neuraminidase coating on the influenza virus, interfering with the release of new viruses from the infected cell. The catch? You have to act right away-within 48 hours of the onset of your symptoms and must be taken for five days, even after your symptoms have abated. Your symptoms may return if you stop prematurely. They do not reduce your ability to infect others while you are symptomatic and do not protect people from becoming infected. Both are available only by prescription.

Soothing Your Symptoms

Don't despair if the flu has already caught up with you. Feeling rotten with the flu is natural. Like Star Trek'sstarship Enterprise battling off the Klingons, your body shuts down all non-essential systems so it can fight off the virus. And you don't have to do what our ancestors did to relieve the flu. They would rub camphorated oil on the chest and throat, along with a dab of turpentine-just enough so everyone could smell the sick person from afar.

We've come a long way, flu sufferers. Here are some modern ways to soothe your fevered brow and other parts.

• Fever. If your fever is 101 degrees Fahrenheit or under, just let the fever, which enhances the immune response, run its course. Reduce higher fevers with medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. DO NOT give aspirin to a child who contracts the flu. Although the exact connection is not understood, the use of aspirin in children with viral infections has been linked with Reye's Syndrome, a rare and life-threatening condition affecting the liver and brain that typically strikes youngsters recovering from a viral infection. Always treat children with viral infections with acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
• Muscle aches and chills. Both can be relieved by aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
• Dehydration from the fever or just not drinking enough fluids should be avoided by drinking plenty of fluids, even when you have no appetite for food. Adults should drink 8 ounces of fluids every two hours; children, who are more likely to become dehydrated, should sip drinks every half-hour. Avoid alcoholic beverages, which interact with medications and dehydrate you further.
• Congestion. Counteract congestion with an over-the-counter decongestant. Or add moisture to the air with a humidifier, and drink hot, soothing teas-not to mention chicken soup-all of which will help thin the mucus in your nose and relieve congestion.
• Gargle with salt water to treat a sore throat (1/2 tsp. salt to 8 oz. warm water)-and drink plenty of hot fluids, suck on lozenges, or try cool treats such as flavored ices and ice cream, all of which work wonders on children (and adults).
• Don't smoke. Smokers who contract the flu should stop smoking (and those who do not smoke, avoid smokers). The flu viruses irritate tissue as they race through the respiratory tract-and smoking not only irritates it further but also slows the body's immune response.
• Vomiting and diarrhea are sometimes experienced by children with the flu. Contact your child's doctor and ask what to do at the first sign of gastrointestinal problems. Ensure that your child does not become dehydrated by offering them small, frequent drinks of sports drinks (which help replenish needed electrolytes), flat soda, or flavored ices.
• Get rest, and plenty of it. And don't try to bounce back too quickly. Wait a day after your temperature is normal before resuming your normal activities or a relapse may be in store.
• Try some alternative remedies. Echinacea, garlic, vitamin C, and even zinc have all been tied to flu relief and may boost to your immune system.

Chicken Soup and the Flu

Researchers at the 

University

 of Nebraska Medical Center have confirmed that the seemingly magical healing qualities of Grandma's chicken soup are not in your imagination. As the flu virus attacks the body, the area becomes inflamed, which causes flu's characteristic stuffiness and cough. They added chicken soup to some samples of the white blood cells that trigger inflammation and found that the soup inhibited their activity. The researchers speculate that the soup's ability to reduce inflammation may in part explain its familiar comforting qualities.

Children and Flu

Some parents think the flu is a stomach bug. But while children may have nausea, stomach pain and/or vomiting with flu, the key influenza symptoms in children include a high fever, chills and shakes, body aches, sore throat, headaches and a dry hacking cough.

What causes flu in children?

The flu is caused by one of three types of influenza viruses. Types A and B are responsible for the yearly flu epidemics, and type C flu virus causes sporadic mildillness. Type A flu virus is further divided into different subtypes based on the chemical structure of the virus.

For in-depth information about what causes flu, see WebMD's Flu Facts: Causes of Flu.

How is flu spread among children?

Flu is highly contagious, particularly when people share close quarters as children do in school classrooms. Flu is spread among children when a child either inhales infected droplets in the air (coughed up or sneezed by an infected person) or when the child comes in direct contact with an infected person's secretions. A person can be contagious one day before onset of symptoms and 5-7 days after being sick. This can happen, for example, when they share pencils at school or play computer games and share the remotes or share utensils such as spoons and forks. Hand to hand contact is also important to consider when thinking about how flu is spread.

What are flu symptoms in children?

The symptoms of flu in children are more severe than symptoms of a childhood cold. Symptoms of flu in children start abruptly and usually cause kids to feel the worse during the first two or three days of onset. Flu symptoms in children may include:

• A high-grade fever up to 104 degrees F
• Chills and shakes with the fever
• Extreme tiredness
• Headache and body aches
• Dry, hacking cough
• Sore throat
• Vomiting and belly pain

Are there ways to prevent the flu in children?

The best way to prevent flu is to get an annual influenza vaccination. The CDC recommends that all people ages 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine to prevent influenza. Vaccinating children with the influenza vaccine each year helps protect them against flu.

To learn more about why it's so important for all children to receive the flu vaccine, watch this video from the CDC: Children Lost to the Flu.

Healthy children over age 2 who don't wheeze or don't have a history of asthma may have the option of getting the nasal spray influenza vaccine. Children ages 6 months and older can receive the flu shot.

Pregnant women and caregivers of children younger than 6 months or children with certain health conditions should be vaccinated.

11 Cold & Flu Myths

12 Cold & Flu Myths

Myths Gone Viral: Debunked

As cold and flu season wears on, it's pretty likely you or someone in your family have played host to one of the unpleasant respiratory viruses making the rounds. Getting rid of these unwelcome "guests"—or avoiding them altogether—starts with knowing which strategies and beliefs are helpful, and which aren't. Here, we set the record straight.

Myth #1: The flu vaccine causes the flu

Why it's not true: The viruses contained in flu shots have been killed (the pros say they been "inactivated"), which means they really can't cause infection. Getting a flu shot may causesymptoms that feel like the flu, though, admits Susan Coffin, M.D., medical director of infection prevention and control at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Most often, people misattribute the achy side effect that can sometimes follow the flu shot with the onset of the flu itself," she says. "There are also so many other respiratory viruses floating around out there that you could catch one after you get the flu vaccine, and it may seem as though the shot caused it. It hasn't."

Unlike the flu shot, the nasal spray flu vaccine (Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine, or LAIV, also known as FluMist) does contain live viruses. The viruses are weakened, though, and shouldn't cause the flu, Dr. Coffin says. Mild reactions from the nasal spray flu vaccine may include runny nose, nasal congestion or cough, chills, tiredness and weakness, sore throat, and headache. These side effects are mild and clear up quickly, especially compared with the symptoms of the flu, she says.

Myth #2: You can catch a cold from getting cold

Why it's not true: Most people know by now that only a cold virus causes a cold. But many cling to the belief that going outside not properly dressed (or with wet hair) on a cold day will worsen the symptoms of a cold virus. This is also untrue. "I think this comes from people noticing that more people get sick during the colder months, and thatis true," Dr. Coffin says. The real reason? Proximity. People generally spend more time indoors, closer together, and touch hands or come in contact with coughing and sneezing more. So viruses tend to "make the rounds" and strike more people. But being in the cold weather will only make you colder (and perhaps make your nose and eyes run a little more), not sicker.

Myth #3: You should avoid dairy if you're sick

Why it's not true: Phlegm is the thick, stickymucus that drips down the back of the throat when a person has a cold. Drinking milk may make phlegm thicker and more irritating to the throat than it would normally be, but it doesn't cause the body to make more phlegm," says James Steckelberg, M.D., consultant in the division of Infectious diseases and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota. That's a myth. In fact, Dr. Steckelberg recommends that cold sufferers drink or eat dairy products such as cream-based soups, ice cream, pudding, or milk, as they are soothing on sore throats and provide calories they otherwise might not eat while they're feeling so lousy.

If you find that you or your child develop sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) and/or ear infections after consuming dairy products, a dairy allergy may be involved. Discuss your suspicions with your doctor or with your child's pediatrician.

Myth #4: If you don't have a fever, you're not contagious

Why it's not true: If you have a cold, you're most contagious for the first 2 to 3 days, whether you have a fever or not, according to the National Institutes of Health. "Sometimes, at our house, the fever is 'the Grand Finale' of everyone's cold—it shows up at the very end," says Mary Linda Swiatek, mother of two children, ages 14 and 12, in Lake Mary, Florida. Swiatek says she has long been aware that contagiousness can precede visible symptoms. The contagious phase of a cold virus is usually over by day 7 to 10. Adults and older children with colds generally have a low fever or no fever. Young children, though, often run a fever around 100° to 102°F.

The flu can be stealthy as well: According to the CDC, most healthy adults may be able to infect others from one day prior to showing symptoms and for five days after that, with or without a fever. Some young children with weakened immune systems may be contagious for longer than a week.

Myth #5: Your cold could turn into the flu

Why it's not true: The flu and the common cold are caused by different viruses. So a cold can't really "morph" into the flu. If you or your child develops the flu, it was caused by a flu virus in the first place. Because the two types of illnesses have similar symptoms, it can be challenging to tell the difference between them based on how you feel. But, generally, the flu is worse than a cold, with more intense symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and a dry cough. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally don't result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations.

Special tests usually must be done within the first few days of illness to determine if a person has the flu. Last year Jennifer Higgins of Midlothian, Virginia, had her then 11-year-old daughter Lauren tested for H1N1; the diagnosis was positive. Higgins, after showing the same symptoms 12 hours later, deduced that she, too, had the virus. Although Higgins never was tested, her doctor agreed with her self-diagnosis.

Myth #6: The flu just isn't that serious

Why it's not always true: Most people who get the flu will have a mild case and won't needmedical care or antiviral drugs. They'll fully recover in less than two weeks. But make no mistake: The CDC warns that complications from the flu—whether it's H1N1, the seasonal flu, or another flu virus—can be deadly. An average of 36,000 people die each year from the flu and more than 200,000 are hospitalized. Pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, and ear infections are examples of flu-related complications. The flu can also 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 find that the flu worsens this condition.

Those at higher risk for flu complications include children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women, and those with chronic illnesses. Visit a doctor or the emergency room if you have any concerns about pneumonia or dehydration

Myth #7: Staying away from sick people is the only way to stay well

Why it's not always true: Staying away from sick people is one way to help avoid getting sick, but it's not foolproof. After all, people can be contagious without showing any symptoms (see Myth #4). Experts point to the flu vaccine as the best preventive measure against the flu. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC on vaccine issues, recommends that all people age 6 months and older receive an annual flu vaccination.

But until you or your child can get vaccinated—or if you choose not to—washing hands regularly will help avoid both a cold and the flu.

And yes, avoid direct contact with visibly sick people whenever possible. When you're sick yourself, do others the courtesy of staying home. "We've really worked on teaching our kids to keep a respectful distance from others if they're sick when we do have to go out, especially if we're getting together with their grandparents," says Swiatek.

Myth #8: If you get the flu, you'll be immune after that

Why it's not true: Although you immediately become immune to the one particular flu virus you contracted, after that flu runs its course you could still contract a different flu virus, a cold virus, or a virus that causes pneumonia, according to Dr. Coffin. Higgins knows this first-hand. After she and her daughter battled H1N1, they both wound up with what Higgins describes as a "lovely parting gift" of double pneumonia (when the pneumonia is in both lungs). The 2010-2011 flu vaccine protects against an influenza A H3N2 virus, an influenza B virus, and the 2009 H1N1 virus that caused so much illness that year. These are the three viruses that research suggests are most common this flu season, according to the CDC.

Myth #9: If you hate shots, you can just get the nasal spray instead

Why it's not always true: The nasal mist flu vaccine is approved by the FDA for use in healthy people 2 to 49 years old who are not pregnant. Those who are not eligible for the LAIV vaccine include:

• People at high risk for complications from influenza, including those with chronic heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease; people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system, or who take medications that can weaken the immune system.

• Children younger than 5 years old with a history of recurrent wheezing

• Children or adolescents receiving aspirin

• Pregnant women

•People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs or who are allergic to any of the nasal spray vaccine components

Bottom line: Consult with your doctor about your medical history before the two of you decide which vaccine is best for you.

Myth #10: If you don't get a flu shot by January, it's too late

Why it's not true: "At the risk of sounding trite," says Dr. Coffin, "it's never too late; or, it's too late only on the date the very last flu virus hits for the very last time." Flu season often peaks in February but can extend all the way into the month of May. Because no one can accurately predict when the very last flu virus will hit for the last time, as long as the vaccine is available, it's not too late to get it. Your state or local health department has a list of locations in your area where the vaccine is still available.

Myth #11: Getting vaccinated every year isn't necessary

Why it's not true: Flu viruses do change from year to year, which means two things: First, you can get the flu more than once during your lifetime. The immunity (natural protection that develops against a disease after a person has had that disease) that is built up from having the flu caused by one virus strain doesn't always provide protection when a new strain is circulating. Second, a vaccine against flu viruses circulating last year may not protect against the newer viruses. That's why the flu vaccine is updated to include current viruses every year. Another reason to get flu vaccine every year is that after you get vaccinated your immunity declines over time, Dr. Coffin explains. Your immunity may be too low to provide protection after a year.

Are colds and the flu contagious before or after you start showing symptoms?

Myths about contagion are a regular part of life. Remember when AIDS could be transmitted by a handshake? Most fictions regarding how you can catch diseases aren't quite that bizarre and off the mark -- they usually sound pretty reasonable, which is how a lot of them get passed through generations as unquestioned truths. Many of us understand that when it comes to a coldor the flu, we're most contagious before we start feeling sick; that by the time we've got a runny nose, sore throat and achy muscles, the damage to the people around us has already been done. In fact, many of us are completely wrong.

If you think about how a virus works, it makes sense that we're most contagious when our symptoms are at their worst. Viruses like influenza and those that cause the common cold (there are a couple of hundred of them) have an incubation period once they get into your body. The virus gets into a group of healthy cells and then goes about requisitioning their survival apparatus from the inside. During this incubation period, while the virus is multiplying inside those infectedcells, you have no symptoms -- no sore throat, no runny nose, no achy muscles -- and no virus spreading like wildfire throughout your body so that every drop of saliva or mucous you produce contains it. And that's how a virus spreads from one person to another: By a healthy person coming into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, whether those fluids are airborne (as from a sneeze) or left on a doorknob by a sick person who just wiped his nose. So if you have no symptoms yet, it's a lot less likely that you're going to spread the virus to another person.

Once the cells that have been taken over by the virus start to die, that's when all hell breaks loose. Here's when you start having symptoms, and you start spreading it to everyone you know if you're not careful. Some of those symptoms are caused by the virus itself (runny nose and sore throat, for example), and others are caused by your immune system(fever and exhaustion, for instance). When the virus breaks out of those dead cells and starts infecting tons of other cells throughout your body, your immune system recognizes that something is wrong and begins its counterattack. All of this can take days to happen. With the flu in particular, the time between exposure and the onset of symptoms is usually between one and four days.

So, when are you most contagious? Most experts agree that adults with a cold or the flu start being contagious about a day before they start experiencing symptoms. For the flu, the contagious period then lasts five to seven days into the illness. For children, the contagious period for the flu can last up to two weeks after they start feeling sick, even if they start feeling better before that. The contagious period for a cold lasts about three to four days into the illness. As a general rule, people with a cold are mostcontagious about three days after their initial exposure to the virus.

Treating Flu Symptoms at Home

10 Foods to Eat When You Have the Flu

Popsicles

An icy popsicle can soothe a sore, prickly, swollen, or dry throat. It can also help keep you hydrated, which is key when battling the flu. Getting enough fluids can keep mucus thin and help lessen congestion. Look for popsicles made from 100% fruit juice to make sure you're getting vital nutrients and not sugar water. Some flavors to try: apple, grape, or strawberry.

Turkey Sandwich

Turkey is a good, lean protein, essential to solid nutrition. And although you may not feel like it, eating can help give your body energy to fight illness. Try adding cranberry sauce for a spike of flavor and comfort-food taste.

Vegetable Juice

Making and eating a salad is probably one of the last things you'll feel up to while recovering from the flu. Down a glass of low-sodium vegetable juice instead. You'll load up on immune-boosting antioxidants and keep yourself hydrated. Craving a sweet taste? Go with 100% fruit juice.

Chicken Soup

Nourishing and hydrating, there's also some scientific evidence that chicken soup may help with healing and have mild anti-inflammatory effects. Studies have found that hot chicken soup can improve the ability of cilia, the tiny hair-like parts of the nasal passages, to protect the body from bacteria and viruses.

Garlic

If you feel up to it, garlic can be a good choice to spice up foods like soup. It appears to have antimicrobial and immune-stimulating properties and may give you slight relief from congestion.

Ginger

Stomachache? Nausea? Ginger is a home remedy often used to soothe these symptoms. Some studies suggest it may help fight inflammation. Try adding it freshly grated or in powdered form to other foods, or drinking flat ginger ale.

Hot Tea

Green, oolong, and black tea offer disease-fighting antioxidants. And breathing in the steam can help relieve congestion. Add a spoonful of honey and a squeeze of lemon to help soothe a sore throat. If caffeine bothers you, opt for decaf or herbal versions

Banana

Sliced, mashed, or whole, bananas are easy on the stomach. They can be a go-to food if you've been hit with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which often occur in kids with the flu. Bananas, along with rice, applesauce, and toast, make up the BRAT diet -- often the first foods doctors encourage people to try when they’re recovering from stomach flu and ready for solid foods.

Toast

Although it brings up the rear of the BRAT diet, toast is nothing to ignore. If you can manage food, try toast or crackers. They can be convenient foods when you're fighting illness. Plus, they pair well with chicken noodle soup and their satisfying crunch can take the edge off hunger when your stomach can't handle much.

Meal Replacement Drinks

If your appetite has returned, try one of these to make sure you're getting proper nutrients and calories. Look for lactose-free drinks with at least 6 grams of protein and that are low in sugar. Flavors like strawberry and chocolate may make getting essential vitamins, nutrients, and calories more attractive

Is It a Cold or Is It the Flu?Cold vs. Flu: Does It Matter?

Cold vs. Flu: Does It Matter?

Cold? Flu? Over-the-counter drugs and chicken soup help both, right? Not so fast.

Learning whether it is a cold or flu is important because the flu can have serious complications such as pneumonia or even death. Treating flu within 48 hours of symptoms is best. Prescription antiviral drugs may cut the time you're sick.s It Matter?

Cold? Flu? Over-the-counter drugs and chicken soup help both, right? Not so fast.

Learning whether it is a cold or flu is important because the flu can have serious complications such as pneumonia or even death. Treating flu within 48 hours of symptoms is best. Prescription antiviral drugs may cut the time you're sick.

Flu: Comes on Fast and Furious

If you feel like you've been hit by a truck, it's probably the flu. Flu symptoms like sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough tend to come on suddenly and are more intense than cold symptoms. Colds usually include a runny or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms usually improve over two to five days, but you might feel run-down for a week or longer. Colds come on gradually and last about a week.

Is Swine Flu (H1N1) Still a Threat?

Swine flu has recently been in the news, but the pandemic officially ended in 2010. Current flu vaccines protect against swine and seasonal flu. Swine flu and the regular seasonal flu share many symptoms: cough, sore throat, fever (although not everyone with flu gets a fever), and body aches. But many people with swine flu also develop stomach problems, such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Fever: Usually Means Flu

While some people may develop a slight fever when they have a cold, most do not. If you have the flu, you will probably run a fever of 100-102 degrees or higher. Children's flu fevers tend to be higher, and children may be more likely to develop a fever with the common cold

Flu: Fatigue Can Last for Weeks

When you've got the flu, you likely start off feeling extremely tired and achy all over.  That fatigue and weakness may last for up to 3 weeks -- or even longer in the elderly, and people with chronic diseases or a weak immune system. With a cold, you usually feel bad for just a few days.

Colds and Flu: Can Cause Headaches

A headache isn't a reliable indicator of flu because a cold can cause a headache, too. But a headache caused by a cold, like other cold symptoms, tends to be milder than one caused by flu

Coughs: Sign of Both Colds and Flu

Because both colds and flu are respiratory illnesses, which affect your airways, both can cause coughing.

Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be a complication of the flu. Call your doctor if you have a persistent cough, fever higher than 102 degrees and chills, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or chest pain as a result of coughing, or are coughing up yellow-green or bloody phlegm.

Earaches: Can Come From Colds or Flu

Colds and flu can cause earaches because they can irritate the eustachian tube that connects your throat to your middle ear. That irritation can cause dull or burning pain. Cold and flu-related earaches usually go away by themselves.

If pain lasts longer than your sickness or you feel sudden, strong pain, see a doctor. You may have developed an ear infection that needs treatment.

Colds: Often Start With Sore Throat

Most colds start with a sore throat for one to two days. A runny and stuffy nose is also common. Sore throats can be a symptom of the flu -- with flu, a sore throat is accompanied by fatigue and other symptoms that often happen all at once.

Stuffy Nose: May Mean a Cold

Unless you're also feverish, very achy, and just plain zapped of energy, you've likely got a cold -- although many people with the flu also report a stuffy nose and sneezing.

Both cold and flu can lead to sinus infections. These are marked by a deep and constant pain in the area of the cheekbones, forehead, or bridge of the nose. The pain usually gets worse with sudden head movement or straining. Seek medical treatment for sinus infections.

Flu Swab Tests Can ID Flu Fast

The quickest and most effective way to know if you have flu or a cold is to get a test at your doctor's office.

By taking a nasal or throat swab, your doctor can often tell if you have the flu virus, usually within 30 minutes or less. If you test positive for flu and your symptoms started within the last 48 hours, your doctor may suggest antiviral treatment to help you recover more quickly.

Flu: Start Antiviral Drugs Quickly

The flu can be brutal, but antiviral medications can make you feel better and shorten the time you are sick by one to two days -- if they are started within two days of getting sick. Over-the-counter medications can also lessen some flu symptoms like cough and congestion. Read labels and instructions carefully so you understand what you are taking and how to take it.

Colds: OTC Drugs Can Reduce Symptoms

Drugstore medicines like decongestants, cough suppressants, and antihistamines can help congestion, cough, and nasal symptoms. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen can treat pain or headache.

Read the active ingredients and warnings on all product labels. Many cough and cold medicines contain the same ingredients, so you could accidentally overdose unless you're careful. Using aspirin to treat flu has been linked to Reye’s Syndrome in children under 18. Talk to your doctor before using aspirin in children.

Cold and Flu Prevention: Hand-Washing

Wash hands well to help prevent the spread of flu from one person to the next. With soap and warm water, vigorously rub your hands together for 20 seconds; don't forget between your fingers and around your nails. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers also work.

Wash often during cold and flu season, especially after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose. Can't find a tissue? Sneeze or cough into your elbow instead of your hands.

Flu Prevention: Vaccines

Get a flu vaccine. They're made of harmless versions of flu virus to help your body recognize and fight it if exposed to the real thing. Despite what you may hear, they don't give you the flu.

They're especially important for children older than 6 months, pregnant women, adults older than 50, and people with chronic illness or suppressed immune systems.

Healthy children 2 years old and older and nonpregnant healthy adults under 50 can opt for the nasal mist vaccine.