Dec. 16, 2014
Flu season typically peaks during
the winter months. This year is no different. Physicians are now seeing more patients
with the flu, or influenza. Texas physicians want to remind everyone that your
best defense is getting vaccinated.
Erica Swegler,
MD, an Austin family physician and member of Texas Medical Association’s
(TMA’s) Be Wise — ImmunizeSM Physician Advisory Panel, said her office has had a
recent increase in patients with flu and flu-type illness. “We’re seeing both
types of flu virus, the A and B strains,” she said.
The Texas
Department of State Health Services also reports increasing cases of flu-like
symptoms and flu diagnoses each week.
The H3N2 virus
that physicians are seeing, referred to as an A strain, typically signals a
severe flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). This could indicate a “worse-than-usual” season.
An annual flu vaccination is recommended for anyone 6 months
of age and older. It’s not too late to get a flu vaccination, as cases usually
increase during the holidays and into the new year.
“As long as flu viruses are spreading and
causing people to get sick, a flu vaccination is still recommended,” said Dr.
Swegler. “And even if the
vaccine doesn’t target all the strains circulating, it provides some protection.”
Influenza can be a serious, even fatal,
illness. Influenza can be especially harmful to older people, young children,
people with chronic medical conditions, and pregnant women. A bonus for
pregnant women who get vaccinated: The vaccine protects the mother and her
unborn baby — even after the baby is born, up to 6 months of age.
“Some
people are more vulnerable to catching the flu because they have certain
medical conditions that prohibit them from getting vaccinated,” said Ernest
Buck, MD, Corpus Christi, chair of TMA’s Council on Health Promotion. “Vaccinating
healthy family members who go to daycare, school, or work every day prevents
them from bringing flu home to aging or frail family members who might not
handle the illness well.”
CDC says most healthy adults can infect
other people a day before they have symptoms and for as many as five to seven days
after they become sick. Children may pass the virus even longer — for more than
seven days.
Check with your
doctor if you have questions about which flu vaccine is right for you or other
questions. And call your doctor if you have any symptoms of the flu — early
treatment will help most people recover more quickly and can prevent the flu if
you have been exposed recently.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing
more than 48,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin
and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key
objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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Be Wise — Immunize is a service
mark of the Texas Medical Association.
Contact: Pam Udall phone: (512) 370-1382 cell: (512) 413-6807
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Brent Annear phone: (512) 370-1381 cell: (512) 656-7320
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