Ask the Experts with Dr. Crupain: Can the flu cause serious health issues?

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12 things you should know about the flu shot

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Should Babies Get Flu Shots?

What Should I Do to Prepare for Flu Season?

The 2019-2020 flu season got off to an early start and is now in full swing. Flu activity is high across the United States and is expected to remain elevated for several more weeks. The ominous beginning of the season, which can drag on until May, has raised concerns about what&rsquo;s still to come.

As of February 15, 2020, the CDC estimates that up to 41 million people were infected with the flu and as many as 41,000 people died from the virus or related complications.

Young people have been disproportionately affected, the CDC notes. Just over half of all of confirmed flu cases involve children and adults younger than 25-years old. Only 13 percent of confirmed cases involved people older than 65, which has helped keep hospitalization and death rates in check. Health officials estimate that between 280,000 and 500,000 people were admitted to the hospital. The flu prompted another 13 to 19 million people to see their doctor for medical attention.

The CDC warns, however, the flu can still be dangerous&mdash;even for otherwise healthy kids. As of February 15&mdash;midway through the flu season&mdash;the virus already claimed the lives of at least 105 children.

How this year stacks up 
Preliminary estimates of the 2019-2020 flu vaccine were reported by the CDC on&nbsp;February 21.&nbsp;This season&#39;s vaccines are reducing doctor&rsquo;s visits for flu illness by 45 percent overall and 55 percent in children. These numbers a consistent with past seasons. But the CDC points out that&mdash;even in mid-February&mdash;it&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://cms.sharecare.com/health/cold-and-flu/article/can-flu-shot-save-life">not too late to get vaccinated</a>&nbsp;to protect yourself against the flu and related complications. As of February 14, 171.1 million doses of flu vaccine were distributed, the agency reports.

Early on in 2019, Influenza B/Victoria, caused the most illnesses, which was unusual for that time of year. Since January however, the flu A strain known as H1N1 is now more prevalent, with an increase in cases in recent weeks.

Fewer deaths were reported during the 2018-2019 flu season than in many previous years, but it was the longest in a decade&mdash;partly because two types of flu viruses surfaced at different times. The one bright spot was that roughly 63 percent of children and 45 percent of adults got a flu shot&mdash;an increase of about 5 percent among kids and a roughly 8 percent jump among adults from the year before.

Moreover, the 2018-2019 seasonal flu vaccine was a good match, offering 47 percent protection against the viruses that were circulating at that time (H1N1 and H3N2). So, those who received the vaccine may have cut their odds of acquiring a case of the flu by nearly half.

This was a significant improvement from the year before. The 2017-2018 flu shot offered 36 percent effectiveness against the flu that season. Complicating matters, fewer people rolled up their sleeves: just 37.1 percent of adults received the vaccine during the 2017-2018 flu season&mdash;a 6.2 percent drop from the year before.

Overall, the 2017-2018 flu season was the deadliest in more than 40 years, according to the CDC. From the fall of 2017 to the spring of 2018, it&rsquo;s estimated that the flu claimed the lives of nearly 61,000 Americans, including at least 643 children. It&rsquo;s also estimated that more than 808,000 were hospitalized due to the virus that year.

More reasons to get vaccinated 
It&rsquo;s true: sometimes people who get the flu shot are still infected with the virus. This can happen due to a number of factors, including a person&rsquo;s unique biological characteristics, the flu viruses in circulation (and whether or not the flu vaccine is a close match to these predominant strains) as well as the type of flu vaccine used.

Studies show, however, that getting the flu vaccine can still help reduce the severity of the infection and help prevent flu-related complications. In short, if you get the shot and still do get the flu, it may not be as bad.

And if that&rsquo;s not enough motivation to get vaccinated, consider this: getting a flu shot will also protect the more vulnerable people around you, including babies, older people, pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you do get sick 
Getting vaccinated against the flu is the best way to avoid infection. But if you do get the virus, there are certain prescription medications, known as antiviral drugs, that could help ease the severity of your symptoms and help you recover more quickly. Antiviral drugs are particularly important for those who are at high risk for serious flu-related complications, such as those with asthma, diabetes or heart disease, the CDC advises.

The agency reports that nearly all flu strains tested during the 2019-2020 flu season are susceptible to the four antiviral drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

See your doctor right away if&nbsp;you&rsquo;re at high risk for complications and think you may have the flu.&nbsp;You may be prescribed antiviral drugs to treat a flu infection. Keep in mind, these medications are most effective when taken promptly&mdash;within two days of developing symptoms, which typically include:

<ul>
	<li>Fever or chills</li>
	<li>Cough, runny nose and/or congestion</li>
	<li>Sore throat</li>
	<li>Body aches</li>
	<li>Headache</li>
	<li>Fatigue</li>
</ul>

Flu Season Is Here—How Bad Is It?

Get the facts on the cold and flu and keep your family healthy.

7 Cold and Flu Myths That Definitely Aren’t True in Hawaii

Don't pay high prices for extensive multitasking cough, and cold formulas, because they're going to target about 8 to 10 symptoms, and you might wind up feeling like a zombie anyway. What I would do is target a specific symptom that you're dealing with, and you might just pay 5 or 6 dollars for something like that. 

So to give you an example, or if you have a running nose, I would suggest an antihistamine, and if your nose is stuffed up, try a product that contains psuedoephedrine. Now, if it's a dry hacking cough that's keeping you up all night, quiet it down with dextromethorphan, you'll see that on the label as D. 

M., and if you got body aches, and pains, or feve, nor worries, look for pseudominophen or ibuprofen. These single agent ingredients could save you a lot of money in the pharmacy, and again when you avoid those major cough and cold symptom products that contain 8 or 10 ingredients, you're also going to feel a lot better. 

You're less likely to feel like a zombie. 
  

Is Multi-Symptom Cold Medicine More Effective Than Single-Symptom Medicine?

Hi, I'm Dr. Altman, does it always seem like one of your kids is sick with something? Here's some info to put into perspective. Healthy kids with normal immune system can catch around 10 infections a year. That's especially true if they're in daycare or preschool. Exposure to more kids means for infection, that's normal. 

It's common for kids to bring home a new bug every to or three weeks during the winter and fewer infections during the summer. Most coughs and colds are caused by viruses and will clear off on their own. Children pick up their colds form their friends or classmates, these bugs can survive on surfaces for hours and spread easily from person to person, that's why it's so important to teach kids good hygiene habits, especially washing their hands frequently and thoroughly. 

I'm Dr. Altman, for more tips to keep your kids healthy watch all our smart videos right here. 
  

Why Kids Get Sick So Often

We&rsquo;ve all heard the advice to get the flu shot each fall. But is it really that important to do?

The short answer: yes. Here&rsquo;s what you need to know about the flu vaccine and why flu prevention is so essential.

The flu can be dangerous&mdash;even deadly 
While COVID-19 has quickly become the third-leading cause of death in the United States, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/infections/cold-flu/dangerous-flu-symptoms-never-ignore" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">influenza and its related complication pneumonia</a> killed almost 42,000 people in 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of flu plummeted leading to what some experts have called a &ldquo;missed&rdquo; flu season for 2020 to 2021. Hospitalizations due to confirmed influenza were the lowest on record since 2005, when this type of information started to be collected.

Precautions against COVID-19 such as masking, frequent hand-washing, and physical distancing most likely contributed to this drop in flu cases. Increased vaccination may have also played a part, related to efforts by public health authorities to boost vaccination rates. While uptake of the flu vaccine has lagged in the past, people were 23 percent more likely to get a flu vaccine in 2020 compared to 2019, according to one study published in the journal Vaccine in 2022.&nbsp;

Still, experts have warned of a possible COVID-19/influenza &ldquo;twindemic,&rdquo; and expressed concerns about more severe flu seasons in the years to come. &nbsp;

Other factors may contribute to more severe flu seasons. Low levels of influenza transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic means that your body may not have had to fight off an influenza infection for some time. For some people, their immunity to influenza may have waned, making them more susceptible to the flu. Also, the same precautions that protect against COVID-19&mdash;including masking, frequent hand washing, and social distancing&mdash;also protect against influenza. As those ease up, the likelihood of a worse flu season may increase.

What is the flu vaccine? 
The flu vaccine remains the most effective way to prevent the flu and to protect your health and the health of your community. In seasons when the vaccine is well-matched to most circulating influenza viruses, getting a flu shot may decrease the risk of flu illness by 40 percent to 60 percent. The CDC estimates that during 2019 to 2020, the flu shot prevented about 7.5 million cases of the flu, 3.7 million visits to healthcare providers (HCPs), 105,000 hospitalizations, and 6,300 flu-related deaths.

Although the precise formulations of the vaccine change every year, the basic foundations of the vaccine remain constant. The shots are either made with flu viruses that have been inactivated, which means they&rsquo;re not infectious, or&mdash;in the case of recombinant flu vaccines&mdash;they&rsquo;re made without viruses at all. This means that you can&rsquo;t get the flu from any type of shot.

Depending on the year, both three-component or four-component vaccines may be available.

Three-component vaccines defend against three types of flu virus: an influenza A (H1N1), another influenza A (H3N2), and an influenza B virus. The four-component vaccines protect against these same viruses, plus an additional B virus. Your HCP will recommend you get either the three- or four-component vaccine depending on your age, the health of your immune system, allergies, and other factors. For adults over the age of 65, higher-dose vaccines may be recommended since they are stronger and more effective for people who have weakened immune systems.&nbsp;

During some years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended use of a nasal spray flu vaccine, also known as live attenuated (weakened) influenza vaccine, or LAIV. If you are between the ages of 2 and 49, you may be eligible to receive the nasal spray vaccine. People who fall outside this age range, are pregnant, who have weakened immune systems, and who have certain other medical conditions may not be able to receive this vaccine.

How is the flu vaccine selected? 
Because the flu virus is constantly changing, researchers reevaluate the expected strains each year. The exact components of the vaccine, therefore, may change from year to year. The World Health Organization (WHO) assembles a board of researchers from their own collaborating centers and other key laboratories&mdash;including the CDC and the Francis Crick Institute&mdash;to determine:

<ul>
	<li>Which viruses are making people sick</li>
	<li>How fast the viruses are spreading</li>
	<li>The effectiveness of the previous vaccine</li>
</ul>

Once this information has been presented and reviewed&mdash;usually in February of each year&mdash;the FDA makes the official vaccine decision for the U.S. After that, manufacturing companies begin creating the vaccine, a process that usually takes about six months. HCPs typically know what the vaccine will contain in August or September and can usually begin administering it at the beginning of October.

Who needs the shot? 
The CDC recommends that anyone six months or older get the flu vaccine. And for people who have an increased risk of flu-related complications&mdash;including those under five years of age, those over the age of 65, those in nursing homes or other care facilities&mdash;it&rsquo;s vital to adhere to flu vaccine recommendations.

Pregnant people should also get the flu shot during and after pregnancy. It can greatly reduce the risk of complications and protect your infant from illness for several months after birth. An infant is too young to be vaccinated but can still receive antibodies to the flu from its mother during pregnancy.

If you have the following conditions, it&rsquo;s also imperative to get a flu shot, because contracting the flu may worsen symptoms or lead to complications that require hospitalization:

<ul>
	<li>Asthma or chronic lung disease</li>
	<li>Neurological conditions or past stroke</li>
	<li>Heart disease</li>
	<li>Blood disorders</li>
	<li>Endocrine disorders such as diabetes</li>
	<li>Kidney or liver disorders</li>
	<li>Metabolic disorders</li>
	<li>Weakened immune system</li>
	<li>Obese with a BMI of 40 or higher</li>
</ul>

​There are some exceptions to the recommendations, though.

People who are under 6 months of age or who have had Guillain-Barr&eacute; Syndrome in the past should not receive the flu vaccine. (Guillain-Barr&eacute; is a rare disorder in which your immune system attacks nerve cells causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. Most people recover.)

Likewise, you shot not get the flu shot if you have had a severe allergic reaction in the past to it, or you are allergic to certain vaccine components like gelatin or certain antibiotics. And, while many flu vaccines are made using egg-based technologies, most people with egg allergies can still receive the flu vaccine without needing to be observed for an allergic reaction. If you have a severe egg allergy, talk with your HCP about the safest way for you to receive the vaccine.

The timing matters 
When should you get the flu shot? And is getting the shot at one time of year more effective than another?

In the ideal scenario, you&rsquo;d get the shot before the flu starts to spread each year. The CDC recommends getting your annual flu shot by the end of October. Because children age 6 months to 8 years who are getting vaccinated for the first time need two doses four weeks apart, it&rsquo;s a good idea to begin their vaccination process a bit earlier.

If you miss the earlier window, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/coronavirus/flu-shot-excuses-debunked" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">it&rsquo;s not too late</a>. You can still get vaccinated. It&rsquo;s better to get the flu shot than not, regardless of when you get it. It&rsquo;s important to know, though, that it can take about two weeks after you&rsquo;ve received the vaccine for your immune system to start helping protect you against the flu. During that time, consider taking precautions against the flu such as frequent hand washing and avoiding close contact with people who are sick, especially if you are at risk for flu-related complications.

If you&rsquo;re unsure about whether or not to get the flu shot, check with your HCP. The vaccine can help protect your health and the health of those around you. An added convenience: You can get the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine at the same time.

What You Need to Know About the Flu Shot

Get the facts&mdash;and forget the myths&mdash;so you can avoid the flu this season.

Cold and flu