GHS Cares: Preparing for Flu Season
It is November, and flu season is upon us!
Seasonal flu viruses are present year-round, but they are most common in the fall and winter months. Since seasonal flu viruses spread easily from person to person, it’s essential to follow a few flu season tips to reduce your risk of getting sick.
How to Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season: 5 Seasonal Flu Prevention Tips
If you’d like to avoid getting the flu in North Carolina, receiving a flu shot, practicing proper hygiene, and consistently cleaning surfaces can all decrease your chance of contracting the flu.
As you aim to stay healthy all winter, review our five tips to decrease your risk of contracting the flu, as well as other viruses, this year:
1. Get the Flu Shot
The most important precaution you can take to prevent the flu is for you and your family members to get the flu vaccine each year. While there are many different strains of the flu virus, the flu vaccine protects against those that scientists think will be the most common during that flu season. It is recommended that everyone 6 months of age and older get the flu vaccine. Children under 5 years of age, and especially under 2 years, along with those who have medical conditions such as asthma, are considered to be at higher risk of developing serious flu-related problems.
2. Reduce Your Risk of Flu Exposure
Avoid contact with sick people, and limit contact with others while sick. If you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, stay home from all activities for at least 24 hours after symptoms are gone, with the exception of seeking medical treatment.
3. Cover Your Mouth and Nose When Sneezing or Coughing
Have tissues readily accessible to cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. Cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow if no tissue is available. Keeping your hands away from your mouth, nose, and eyes will also help.
4. Clean Surfaces
Try to keep frequently touched surfaces and objects (desks, faucets, phones, etc.) clean and disinfected. The flu virus can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours.
5. Remember the 3 W’s
While the 3 W’s are responses to helping reduce the spread of COVID-19, they are applicable to helping reduce the spread of the seasonal flu virus as well!
Signs You Have the Flu
Even if you take all the above steps, it’s still important to make sure you recognize the signs of the flu. Knowing the signs can help you avoid people who are currently sick with the flu or avoid others if you suspect you have the flu as well.
Signs of the flu include:
- Fever or feeling feverish/chills
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Muscle or body aches
- Headaches
- Fatigue (tiredness)
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea (more common in children)
When Should You Call Your Provider If You Think You Have the Flu?
You should call your healthcare provider promptly if you are very sick, are at higher risk for flu complications, or if your symptoms worsen or don’t improve.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends contacting a provider early, especially if you are in a high‑risk group (such as young children, people 65 and older, pregnant women, or those with chronic medical conditions), because antiviral treatments are most effective if started within two days of illness onset.
Additionally, seek medical care if you experience emergency warning signs such as difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent chest pain or pressure, confusion or inability to arouse, severe vomiting, or symptoms that improve then return with fever and worse cough.
FAQs About Flu Season
When Does Flu Season Begin?
In the U.S., flu activity usually starts to rise in October and builds through the fall. Peak activity most often occurs between December and February.
In North Carolina, state reporting and weekly respiratory updates typically run from October through May.
When Does Flu Season End?
Significant flu activity often continues into March and April and can last into May, occasionally even later.
Can You Get the Flu Twice in One Flu Season?
Yes. You can catch the flu more than once in a season because different strains (for example, influenza A and B) circulate at the same time.
Immunity after one infection is usually strain-specific. Because flu viruses continually mutate, a different strain can still cause illness. The risk of mutation is one reason why annual vaccination is recommended.
Why Is This Flu Season So Bad?
Flu seasons tend to be worse when more severe strains (like some H3N2 viruses) dominate, vaccine uptake is low, the vaccine match is sub-optimal, or multiple respiratory viruses surge together.
CDC classifies severity by looking at peak rates of flu-like visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. When those indicators cross historical intensity thresholds, the season is labeled “high severity.” Variability in strain evolution and vaccination patterns drives year-to-year differences.
Schedule a Flu Shot at Granville Health System
Anyone can contract the seasonal flu virus, but you can lower the risk by following these tips. Should you suddenly begin to experience flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, body aches, headaches, fatigue, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose), you should see a doctor. There are many other viruses that can cause symptoms similar to the seasonal flu, especially COVID-19, so it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible so that they can administer a flu test and begin treatment, if needed.
If you’d like to receive a flu shot or suspect you might be experiencing the flu, please schedule an appointment at one of our primary care locations.
