Influenza

Most of you probably already know, but there is A LOT of illness going around right now! My older son was recently diagnosed with Flu A, and he was one of about seven absences in his 4th grade class this week. Thankfully, albeit very reluctantly, he gets his flu shot every year and so his course was fairly mild. He complained of body aches, sore throat, headache, sinus congestion, and had a temp around 99 - 100 for a couple of days. Despite this, he was able to enjoy two days on the couch watching Netflix with just enough misery to also get spoiled with gatorade, blankets, and cuddles.

There are treatment options available for the flu, which help to lessen the severity of symptoms and shorten the course of the illness. The key to these medications being effective, however, is to start them early in the course of your symptoms. If you think you might have the flu, it’s worth going to urgent care (or much better yet, your direct access primary care!!) to get tested sooner rather than later. This is doubly important if you have other conditions that put you at risk for a rough go of it with the flu - things like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, COPD and more.

With such high rates of respiratory illness circulating right now, take extra precautions. Wash your hands often, wear a mask in crowded places if you are vulnerable, and stay home if you aren’t feeling well!