Flu season, with its fever, dry cough and aches and pains, is right around the corner. Even in the midst of mounting concerns about Ebola and enterovirus D-68, it is still important to be aware of the need to be prepared for the flu.
The most important thing an individual can do is “get immunized,” said Averil Strang, RN, MSN, director of Community Health Services at Larimer County Health and Environment. Paul Poduska, of UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, Infection Control and Prevention, agrees. “Get the shot,” he said.
Don’t take the flu lightly. It can be a serious, contagious illness. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that between 1976 to 2006, thousands of individuals (in some years, tens of thousands) in the U.S. died from flu-associated complications.