Avoid Getting Sick this Year

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You're hot, your head hurts, you're tired and your body aches. Plus, you feel a cough coming on, your throat is sore and your nose is running. Are you just catching a cold, or is this a sign of something more serious?

Influenza is estimated to cause more than 200,000 hospitalizations and in excess of 36,000 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The flu is more than just a "bad cold," and it's time to prepare for the germ onslaught of the upcoming flu season.

While there is no official start to flu season, according to Christine Pearson, spokesperson for the CDC, the center recommends getting inoculated in October or November to preempt the peak of the flu's circulation -- which is usually in February. The CDC suggests getting them early and, no, last year's flu shot won't protect you this year.

"Flu viruses are constantly changing so it's difficult to predict when the season will peak," explains Christine. "New flu shots must be created each year and, depending on what's circulating, doctors and manufacturers must choose which strands to put in the vaccine."

So with flu season right around the corner, what are you doing to protect you and your family?

Hey man, nice shot.
The CDC is expecting more than a 100 million doses of this year's vaccine, nearly 20 million more than ever before, according to the spokesperson. So everyone that wants or needs an immunization should have the ability to get one. But who needs the shots?

The CDC encourages children from 6 months to 5 years old, pregnant women, anyone over 50, people living in nursing homes, those with chronic medical conditions, or anyone who lives or works with these high-risk groups (health-care providers, parents with young kids, nurses, etc.) to get immunized early.

"The flu is passed so easily, usually through droplet form via coughing or sneezing, but it can also live for up to a day on places like doorknobs and phone receivers," Christine explains. "This is why you need the shot if you're around high risk groups."

Shooting the Shot
One high-risk group that is underachieving when it comes to getting their immunizations is the nurses with the needles, according to a report by the CDC. Because of their direct contact with patients, nurse inoculations are crucial to controlling the spread of influenza.

But before you use nasty nurses as an excuse to avoid the flu shot, there are literally hundreds of reasons people "can't find the time." Here is a little needle nonsense debunked to help eliminate the excuses.

A widespread misconception is that the influenza vaccine can actually cause influenza. Actually, the vaccine cannot cause the flu. The fact of the matter is that the most serious side effect is an allergic reaction in people who have a severe allergy to eggs (the vaccine viruses are grown in eggs), according to the CDC. Allergic reactions are generally mild and resolve in one to two days. The influenza vaccine is 70 percent to 90 percent effective in healthy adults, so some may argue that since it's not 100-percent effective, they may get the flu anyway. While the vaccine may not prevent everyone from getting influenza, it will make the recipient far less likely to be hospitalized and lessen the severity of the symptoms if they do catch the flu.

"Every year 5 to 20 percent of Americans get influenza, it can lead to pneumonia or other complications and can even worsen diabetes, asthma and congestive heart failure," warns the CDC spokesperson.

To help keep your family and friends healthy and happy this flu season, practice these tips offered by the CDC: Wash your hands often, cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing (this is the major way influenza is spread), stay home if you're sick and keep your kids home if they're sick.

How will you know if they're sick?
Look for these symptoms of influenza: