test your flu iq

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A special supplement from:

It’s flu season again, and every year we see some of the same “old wives’ tales” coming back around: the flu shot gave me the flu; the flu is not very serious; flu vaccines are dangerous; and there’s no real reason for me to worry about the flu, just to name a few. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) wants to help set the record straight on these and some other myths about the flu. We want to help provide you with all the resources you need to protect yourself and your family from the number eight cause of death in the country every year, the seasonal flu. With that in mind, we have prepared this guide to better health during this year’s flu season.

Seasonal influenza is a very serious illness, and an average of 23,600 people die every year of complications from the flu. No matter how healthy you are, you can catch the flu, because it is a very contagious respiratory virus. But some people face a much greater risk of the complications that lead to hospitalization and death. That’s why it is so important for everyone to get a flu shot this year and every year. If we can reduce the total number of cases of the flu in the community, we can protect those who are at great risk: the elderly, children under five (especially those under two), pregnant women, those with chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, lung disorders and certain other groups.

There is almost no medical reason not to get a flu shot—the benefits far outweigh any risks that are possible, and the vaccine is widely available. Your local ADH county health unit will have a supply for you and your family, and there are many other places that can also provide flu vaccine—big retailers, pharmacies and even grocery stores are now offering flu vaccine.

I hope that you will spend some time improving your Flu IQ, and helping us Fight the Flu this year in Arkansas!

James Phillips, MD

Branch Chief, Infectious Disease Arkansas Department of Health

...an average of 23,600 people die ever y year of complications from the flu .

Dear Arkansans,

3 Is the Flu Vaccine Safe?4 Who is At Risk for the Flu?6 How Do I Treat My Family if Someone Gets the Flu?6 Warning Signs7 The Flu & Pregnancy7 The Flu & Smoking8 How Do I Protect Myself From Getting the Flu?8 The Three C’s

ContentsJames Phillips, MD

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healthy.arkansas.gov

Test your flu iq

2 A special supplement from the Arkansas department of health

There are two types of flu vaccine: the flu shot and the nasal spray vaccine.Until recently, the vaccine was only available in a shot. The nasal spray was approved for seasonal influenza viruses in 2003, and tens of millions of doses of the nasal spray have been given in the United States. Nasal spray is recommended for use in healthy people 2 years through 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

There are very few medical reasons to not get the flu vaccine. They include life threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis to a previous dose of flu vaccine, serious allergy to eggs, or Guillain-Barré syndrome. People with a non-life threatening egg allergy may be vaccinated but need to see a doctor specializing in allergies.

Over the last 50 years, flu vaccines have been shown to be safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hold vaccines to the highest safety standards.

Who Should NOT Receive the Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine?Certain people should not get the nasal spray flu vaccine. This includes:

• people younger than 2 years of age;

• pregnant women;

• people 50 years of age and older;

• people with a medical condition that places them at higher risk

for complications from influenza, including those with chronic

heart or lung disease, such as asthma or reactive airways disease;

people with medical conditions such as diabetes or kidney

failure; or people with illnesses that weaken the immune system,

or who take medications that can weaken the immune system;

• children younger than 5 years old with a history of recurrent

wheezing;

• children or adolescents receiving aspirin therapy;

• people who have had Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare

disorder of the nervous system, within 6 weeks of getting a flu

vaccine,

• people who have a severe allergy to hens’ eggs. Persons with a

non-life threatening egg allergy may be vaccinated but need to

see a doctor specializing in allergies.

Over the years, hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. have safely received seasonal flu vaccines.

TRUE FALSEOR

TRUE: The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu. This is an “old wives’ tale” that needs to

be put to rest.

You cannot get the flu from the flu shot.

IS THE FLU VACCINE SAFE?


Test your flu iq

Those most at risk for complications from the seasonal flu are:• children aged 6 months through 4 years, however, the risk for severe

complications from seasonal influenza is highest among children younger

than 2 years old;

• people 50 years or older;

• pregnant women;

• adults and children aged 2 years and older with chronic lung (including

asthma) or heart disease

• adults and children 2 years and older with chronic metabolic diseases

(including diabetes), kidney diseases, blood disorders (such as sickle cell

anemia), or weakened immune systems, including persons with HIV/AIDS;

• people in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities;

• people with chronic pulmonary (including asthma, even if mild),

cardiovascular (except hypertension), kidney, liver, blood (including sickle

cell disease), neurologic, neuromuscular, or metabolic disorders (including

diabetes mellitus);

• Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV;

• People younger than 19 years of age who get long-term aspirin therapy,

because of an increased risk for Reye’s Syndrome.

In addition, those that live with or care for individuals that are at high risk for flu-related complications should also be vaccinated and include:• health care workers involved in hands-on care to patients and household

members and caregivers of infants under the age of 6 months;

• household contacts (including children), caregivers of children up to age

4 and adults aged 50 or older; and,

• household contacts (including children) and caregivers of persons with

medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications

from flu.

WHO IS AT RISK FOR THE FLU?

FALSE: Everyone over 6 months of age

needs vaccine.

Only older people need a flu shot.

TRUE FALSEOR

Test your flu iq


What is the seasonal flu?Seasonal flu is a disease that causes mild to severe illness. Each year in the United States, there are 25-50 million infections, over 200,000

hospitalizations and roughly 23,600 deaths due to flu. Over 90 percent of deaths and about 60 percent of hospitalizations occur in people older than 65.

What are the symptoms of flu?Fever greater than 100 degrees, coughing, sore throat, chills, headache and body aches, fatigue, respiratory congestion, and in some cases, diarrhea and vomiting. People experiencing these symptoms should contact their physician.

What is the best way to not get

the flu?The best way to stop the spread of flu is to get the flu vaccine each year. The vaccine takes one to two weeks to start working and is the best protection in preventing the flu. The flu vaccine will not give you the flu! It helps protect you against the flu virus.

Who should get flu vaccine?The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months old and older should get the flu vaccine each year.

TRUE FALSEOR

TRUE: Those infected with the flu virus are contagious to others even before they

develop symptoms of flu. Up to 25 percent of those infected with flu may

not have any symptoms at all.

You can have the flu and not have any symptoms.


Test your flu iq

!WARNING SIGNSSeek Urgent Medical Attention for Children when a CHILD has these symptoms:• Fast breathing or trouble breathing

• Bluish skin color

• Not drinking enough fluids

• Signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, absence of

urination, or in infants, a lack of tears when they cry

• Not waking up or not interacting

• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

• A fever with a rash

• Vomiting and unable to keep liquids down

HOW DO I TREAT MY FAMILY IF SOMEONE GETS THE FLU?• People with respiratory illness should stay home from work or

school to avoid spreading infections, including flu, to others in the

community.

• People experiencing cough, fever and fatigue, possibly along with

diarrhea and vomiting, should contact their physician. Drugs may

be prescribed that can reduce the severity of illness if taken within

48 hours after symptoms begin.

• Children 18 years of age or younger who are ill with flu should not

take aspirin, but can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Follow your

doctor’s advice.

FLU & PREGNANCY

TRUE FALSEOR

I can give aspirin to my teenager if he has the flu.

FALSE: Kids 18 years of age or younger who

have the flu SHOULD NOT take aspirin but can take acetaminophen

or ibuprofen.

Seek Urgent Medical Attention for Adults when an ADULT has these symptoms:• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

• Sudden dizziness

• Confusion

• Severe or persistent vomiting

• Signs of dehydration such as dizziness

when standing and absence of urination

• Purple or blue discoloration of the lips

• Seizures (for example, uncontrolled

convulsions)

Test your flu iq


TRUE FALSEOR

TRUE: The vaccine is safe and none of the

flu vaccine at the Health Department contains mercury.

The flu vaccine cannot cause autism.

FLU & SMOKING

• If you smoke, the risk of getting

the flu increases.

• If you smoke and get flu,

you are more likely to have

complications.

• If you get vaccinated, you are

as protected against flu as

someone that doesn’t smoke.

• Flu vaccine is a safe way to

protect you and your unborn

baby from serious illness and

complications of flu.

• When pregnant women get

flu shots, both mothers and

their babies get the flu less

often.

• Flu vaccination may even help

protect your baby from the flu

after your baby is born.

• Flu shots are safe for pregnant

women and their unborn

babies. The shot has been

recommended for pregnant

women for many years.

• The flu shot can be given

at any time while you are

pregnant.

• The flu shot is safe for women

who plan to breastfeed

and the vaccine can be

given to mothers who are

breastfeeding.

• Talk to your doctor about flu

vaccination during pregnancy.

FLU & PREGNANCY

FLU & SMOKING

•

•

TRUE: The vaccine will prevent a pregnant woman from getting the flu and will

give the unborn child some protection.

TRUE FALSEOR

A flu shot will decrease the chances of both a pregnant woman and her baby of dying from the flu by over

50% (and it almost always keeps mom and baby from catching the flu).


Test your flu iq

FALSE: You should cover your cough with a

tissue or sneeze into your elbow.

You should cover a cough with your hand to protect others.

TRUE FALSEOR

HOW DO I PROTECT MYSELF FROM GETTING THE FLU?The main way that flu viruses are thought to spread is from person to person when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. Flu viruses may also be spread when a person touches the droplets on another person or an object and then touches their own mouth or nose (or someone else’s mouth or nose) before washing their hands.

Take Actions to Stay Healthy• Get the seasonal flu vaccine each year!

• Stay home if you are sick. You should stay home until you

are feeling better and after fever is gone for 24 hours without

taking fever reducers. While you are sick, limit contact with

others to keep from infecting them.

• Avoid close contact with people who are coughing or

otherwise appear ill.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Wash hands frequently with warm, soapy water to lessen the

spread of illness.

• When hand washing is not possible, use an alcohol-based

hand sanitizer.

REMEMBER THE THREE C’S

Clean - Wash your hands often

Cover - cover your cough and sneeze

Contain - stay home if you are sick

Go to www.healthy.arkansas.gov for more information and call your local health unit for days and hours of operations. The flu vaccine will cost $20 or your insurance may be billed.

REMEMBER THE

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