The dreaded flu season is once again just around the corner and, as usual, most of us probably aren’t as prepared as we’d like to be. With some family members of mine currently sick at home, I spent this past week making sure that my medicine cabinet was stocked up with cold and flu medications in the hope of avoiding catching anything so close to midterms. After spending what seemed like hundreds of dollars on pills, common sense slapped me in the face and made that metaphorical light bulb go on in my head. “Prevention is key,” I thought to myself.
ERIC CHUNG/THE VARSITY
The flu is a contagious respiratory illness that is caused by the influenza virus; cases can range in intensity from mild to severe. The more common symptoms vary from person to person, and are usually fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches, headaches, and extreme weakness and fatigue; some people may also experience nausea and vomiting. Experts believe that the flu is spread mainly through droplets of mucus or saliva produced when talking, coughing, or sneezing. Spread of the virus can occur even before symptoms appear, with contagious periods lasting between five and seven days. Being infected with the flu also opens up the door to many other illnesses — such as pneumonia, ear infections, and sinus infections.
Because of the ease with which the flu can spread, washing your hands often and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces are crucial steps in prevention. Another key step towards preventing the flu is getting vaccinated. The flu shot works by stimulating the body to build up a natural immunity. The vaccine itself contains inactive flu viruses which, once in the body, allow the immune system to create the antibodies required to fight the flu virus. Vaccination prevents infection in approximately 70–90 per cent of the healthy adults and children who receive it. It takes the body about two weeks to create the necessary antibodies to fight the virus. Therefore, physicians recommend that the flu shot be administered as soon as it becomes available.
The flu shot is available free of charge to all those who live, work, or study in Ontario. You can get vaccinated at doctors’ offices and flu clinics, which can be found at community health centers, public hospitals, pharmacies, workplace clinics, and public health units.
If all preventative methods fail, here are some things you can do to make yourself feel better and avoid spreading the virus to others: stay home and get plenty of rest; drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated, avoiding products with caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco; wash your hands as often as you can with soap and water, especially after blowing your nose or coughing; and take basic pain or fever medication when necessary.
Do YOU have the flu?
Symptoms: fever, chills, cough, teary eyes, stuffy nose, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, extreme weakness, and fatigue
What to do: drink lots of fluids, avoid drinks with caffeine, take basic pain or fever relievers, apply heat for short periods of time using a hot water bottle or heating pad to reduce muscle pain, take a warm bath, gargle with a glass of warm water or suck on hard candy or lozenges, use saline drops or spray for a stuffy nose, avoid alcohol and tobacco
