Health Matters: How You Can Prevent the Flu

October is the beginning of flu season.

The season lasts all the way until April.

Nobody wants to catch the flu, but it’s likely that you’ll be in contact with someone who has it.

We spoke with an Infectious Disease Physician at Essentia Health who says vaccinations are the key to making sure you stay safe.

It can hit you fast and keep you down for days.

On average five to 20 percent of the population suffers from the flu each year.

“The flu is a very infectious respiratory infection,” said Dr. Augusto Alonto who is an Infectious Disease Physician at Essentia Health. “It infects a lot of people.”

People often complain about having fevers and chills, but there’s a big difference between the flu and a cold.

“Significantly severe symptoms and very sudden on set,” Dr. Alonto explained.

And it’s very contagious, which is why Dr. Alonto urges everyone over six months old to get their flu shot.

“There’s really no reason to not get the flu shot,” said Dr. Alonto. “It doesn’t give you the flu and even if you do get infected with the influenza virus, if you would have gotten your flu shot, your illness would be a lot less and hospitalizations are preventable.”

Dr. Alonto says to not let the side effects scare you because that actually means the vaccine is working.

“Sometimes it can cause minor side effects that can be mistaken as the flu, like their arms being sore or they develop low grade fevers.”

Because viruses change, he urges people to get their vaccines every year.

“Sometimes people don’t know when they have the flu, which is more dangerous because then they can go out to the community and spread it to others,” explained Dr. Alonto. “But a lot of people, when they get the flu, they are bedridden.”

Although the flu mist is not available this year, Dr. Alonto does recommend that you vaccinate your children.

He says getting the shot is much better than what the flu could bring.