Medical officials advise preparing for the flu season

By Sarah Arkin

Published: September 19, 2008

The coughing, sneezing, dripping season is just around the corner and local health officials are urging residents to get prepared.

Now is the time to get a flu vaccine shot, said Dr. Carl Winfield, medical director of Providence Family and Sports Medicine on Piney Forest Road.

“The most important thing to prevent (getting) the flu is to be vaccinated,” he said.

About 36,000 people die from the flu each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and roughly 200,000 people are hospitalized every year due to complications from the flu. More than 20,000 of those patients are children under 5.

There are many different strains, Winfield explained, which is why patients have to get a new vaccination each year. The vaccine protects against the three most common strains research shows will be the most virulent during the season.

Once a patient gets a vaccine, though, they’re protected for the whole year. The only exception to the rule is that children getting their first vaccine should get a booster shot after a month.

Just about everyone should get a vaccine, Winfield said, particularly children between 6 months and 19 years old; pregnant women; people who are over 50; health care workers; and people with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart valve problems.

“People with chronic conditions are more susceptible to becoming ill or losing their lives because the medical problems they already have,” Winfield said.

If you do get the flu, make sure to get in touch with your physician as soon as possible, he said, noting antiviral medications have to be administered within 48 hours.

Symptoms occur rapidly, as opposed to a cold, and include a sudden high fever, dry cough, headache, muscle aches, decreased appetite and fatigue, Winfield said.

Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-798