{"id":23941,"date":"2014-01-23T14:15:58","date_gmt":"2014-01-23T19:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=23941"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:06:40","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:06:40","slug":"should-i-get-a-flu-shot-012314","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/should-i-get-a-flu-shot-012314\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Too Late to Get the Flu Shot?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Should
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re one of those people who ignore the signs in the drugstore or your doctor\u2019s advice to get a flu shot thinking you\u2019re too young and healthy to get the flu, listen up. The influenza outbreak is widespread<\/a> in almost every state, and this year\u2019s strain doesn\u2019t discriminate. But don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not too late to get vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Fiercer Flu Season<\/h3>\n
\n

Right now, 62 percent of reported hospitalizations are people between the ages of 18 and 64.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Between October 1 and January 11, 3,745 lab-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations were reported, according to the CDC. Right now, 62 percent of reported hospitalizations are people between the ages of 18 and 64.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the predominant flu strain going around is H1N1, which is notorious for spreading among demographics that are normally less susceptible (the very young and old are usually those hardest hit during flu season). It\u2019s the same strain responsible for the 2009 pandemic<\/a>, which has recirculated around the world every year since, but hasn\u2019t been the predominant strain, says Seema Jain, M.D., a medical epidemiologist for the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch, Influenza Division at the CDC. Luckily, it\u2019s also a strain the flu vaccine will protect against.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of illness in young and middle aged adults,\u201d says Dr. Jain. \u201cOften that demographic doesn\u2019t get vaccinated as much as other groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, according to CDC estimates from mid-November, just 31 percent of people in that age group had gotten vaccinated. That\u2019s 10 percent lower than overall national estimates. The CDC recommends anyone over the age of 6 months get vaccinated, especially people who have certain medical conditions including asthma, diabetes and chronic lung disease, and women who are pregnant, as they are more likely to develop life-threatening complications from the flu.<\/p>\n

While it’s not too late, Dr. Jain recommends getting vaccinated as soon as possible. And if you\u2019re not sure where to get vaccinated, the HealthMap Vaccine Finder<\/a> provides a thorough list of providers based on zip code or your current location.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the Symptoms<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re experiencing fever, the chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, fatigue, or vomiting and diarrhea, you may have the flu. Symptoms<\/a> usually come on suddenly. And while all these symptoms could instead be signs of a cold or another illness, it\u2019s always best to consult with your doctor, and then determine next steps.<\/p>\n

Stop the Spread<\/h3>\n
\n

Even something as seemingly harmless as taking aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain could spread the virus.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As is clear from the current outbreak, the flu is easy to pass along to others. Even something as seemingly harmless as taking aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain could spread the virus, according to a new study<\/a> by researchers at McMaster University in Ohio. They found that certain OTC medications can increase the amount of flu virus shed, thus increasing exposure to others. The takeaway from this study is not to avoid these drugs if you get the flu, but to stay home to avoid passing the virus along to others.<\/p>\n

The flu is not a virus you want to ignore, or worse yet, attempt sweating out at the gym. After calling your doctor, stay home and avoid contact with others for at least 24 hours, Dr. Jain recommends. Be sure to also ask if you need medication. Antivirals that are specific for influenza can be a second line of defense, Dr. Jain says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can prevent complications, and getting quick treatment can be really important,\u201d she says. \u201cNot everybody needs them, but you need to call your doctor to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Flu season is here, but it might not be too late to protect yourself. Find out why this year’s outbreak is different than years past, and what you can do to stay healthy. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":23952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[190,208,224,84,345,391,186],"class_list":["post-23941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-drugs","tag-flu","tag-illness","tag-safety","tag-tax1conditions","tag-tax2cold-flu","tag-winter"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}