The s
eason we all know and dread has arrived once again: flu season. It lasts from October to April and has different strains every year.
“The flu is a common virus that is very unique because of the various strains that it contains,” Dr. Jasmine T. Weaver, from the Plant City JSA Healthcare location, said. “That’s why it’s so important to get the flu vaccine each year, because every year the strains are different.”
Cold weather helps the virus to spread.
“The changes from warm temperatures to cooler ones have been shown to dry out the nasal passages which, in turn, lowers your immune system,” Weaver said. “Another main cause is being in crowded places due to the higher concentration of germs around you.”
Lori Yarbrough, a mother of two, is planning to vaccinate her family before traveling to Haiti this year. Airports, especially around the holiday season, are crowded. In 2014, United States residents logged 1.7 billion overnight or day trips over 50 miles away from their home for leisure purposes, according to the U.S Travel Association.
“I think that the vaccines are important to receive, especially before traveling,” Yarbrough said. “Being around so many people at once definitely raises your risk.”
Another common place for the virus to spread is in schools or the workplace, but it is still preventable.
“Fortunately for our family, we have escaped the spread of flu in our household for many years,” Linda Walker, a mother of a high school student, said. “I think this could be attributed to a number of things. One, we receive the flu shots. Secondly, my daughter is an avid user of hand sanitizer, and she comes home every day and washes her hands up to her elbows.”
People with the highest risk of getting the flu are the elderly, children and pregnant women.
“It is especially important for people in these categories to make sure that they’re prepared for this flu season, because they are the most sensitive to it,” Weaver said.
Weaver has been seeing flu patients since she started working in family medicine in 2009.
JSA Healthcare and other local doctors’ offices are providing the flu vaccine to patients, including Medicare patients.
– Arden White