It’s that time of year again; time to get your flu shot. Anyone can get the flu, but what’s even
better is that anyone (six months and older) who lives, works or studies in
Alberta can get the flu vaccine, free of charge.
The flu season typically lasts from October – May, with the
peak season starting in December. Why
should you get the flu vaccine? Because
it’s the best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu and
developing symptoms. Symptoms generally
appear 1-4 days after exposure to the virus and can last anywhere from 5 to 10 days, but it can take weeks to
fully recover. You can be contagious before symptoms appear and up to seven days
after. By protecting yourself, you help protect people around you
who are at risk of complications from influenza. If more people are protected,
less people will get sick from influenza.
What are the
symptoms?
- fever
- chills
- cough
- sore throat
- headache
- muscle aches
- stuffy nose
- runny eyes
- extreme fatigue and weakness
Those symptoms sound horrible! What can I do to avoid getting the flu?
Despite my best
efforts, I got the flu. Now what can I
do?
- Stay home and get plenty of rest;
- Drink lots of fluids;
- Avoid drinks with caffeine;
- Take basic pain or fever relievers but do not give acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin®) to children and teens under the age of 18;
- Take a warm bath;
- Gargle with warm salt water or suck on lozenges;
- Use spray or saline drops for a stuffy nose;
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco.
Call you doctor or health care provider if:
- You don’t start to feel better after a few days;
- Your symptoms get worse.
Not sure if it’s the flu, cold, or the stomach “flu”? Use this chart to help:
Click chart for a larger view
References:
To find a flu clinic near you, check out our blog post from earlier this week:
Influenza Immunization Clinics (Leduc, Beaumont, Devon, Calmar, Thorsby, Warburg, New Sarepta.
For influenza immunization clinics across Alberta, click here.
Cherie deBoer is the Chronic Disease Management Registered Nurse at the Leduc Beaumont Devon Primary Care Network.
