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October 16, 2007

Health dept. preparing for flu season

By Karen Williamson

KARENW@CULLMANTIMES.COM

While mandatory reporting for flu cases is not required at the moment, the Cullman County Health Department is gearing up to offer vaccines to lessen a potential outbreak.

The Health Department is offering two flu clinics on Oct. 23 and Nov. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Bernard’s gymnasium. The cost is $5. There is no charge for Medicare recipients, but they must provide their card.

“At that time, we have five or six nurses; and they are only giving flu shots. So it’s a dedicated time just to get flu shots, so people usually don’t have to wait very long,” said registered nurse and Health Department Clinic Supervisor Candece Adkins

Residents can get flu shots at the Health Department if they miss the clinics.

“The vaccine takes about seven to 10 days from the time that you get the shot before you are really getting the immunization and protection so that is why we try to get the vaccine given the end of October or first part of November so that it’s in your system when it is actually flu season,” she said.

People mistakenly believe they will get the flu if they get the vaccine.

“The injection that you get is not a live virus vaccine, so it cannot give you the flu,” said Adkins.

There are normally three to four strains that are in the flu vaccine each year designed to prevent sickness that season.

“There is a chance that someone could get a flu virus that is a different strain than what is covered in the vaccine,” said Adkins. “But usually the symptoms will not be as severe because they do have some immunity to the flu virus; and so usually, their illness will not be as severe.”

The flu season tends to peak in the months of December, January and February. That is when people are really sick.

“A lot of people tend to say they have the flu when it is the common cold,” said Adkins. “With the flu, it’s a fever normally, a lot of body aches, chills, usually a headache and then, of course, things like a cough and runny nose.”

She said people should stay home if they are sick with the flu.

“If it’s really the flu someone has, they really have to stay home because they feel that bad,” she said.

It will take an average of five to seven days to get over it.

Good hand washing is critical in preventing the spread of the flu.

“People may have seen the new ads to sing a verse of ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ when you wash your hands making sure you wash for 20 seconds,” Adkins said.

Adkins also recommends avoiding contact with people who have flu-like symptoms.

To stop the spread of the flu, she said people should cough or sneeze into a tissue to prevent the germ-laden droplets from infecting others.

If a person doesn’t have a tissue, they should cough or sneeze into their shirt sleeve. That is the preferred method, said Adkins.

People should not cough into their hand because there is a chance they will spread the virus by touching objects or shaking hands.

While the flu is a respiratory illness, it’s important for a doctor to determine if the infection is bacterial or viral. An antiobiotic will only be prescribed for a bacterial infection, said Adkins.

Health officials have done away with the terminology of “high risk” categories this year, but Adkins said people with chronic lung issues and heart problems should get the flu shot.

That also includes people 60 or older, children between 6 months and 2 years old, people with weakened immune systems, health care workers and people with contact with children that are less than 6 months old because they are at a higher risk of giving it to the infant, said Adkins.

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