This summer, some of the scarier strains of flu (swine flu and bird flu) underwent mutations or were written up as being prime for a new mutation. Coupled with that, all year expert virologists have been predicting a particularly hard flu season. And now, it’s here.
If you check out Google flu trends, you can see the steady build up of cases of flu symptoms: how it started early, and is steadily creeping up, the numbers are already higher than past years (except 2009-2010, a flu season which saw a ton of cases in October).
Last year was a mild flu season, it officially started way late (though there were cases throughout). This year is the culmination of being “due” a bad year of flu symptoms.
Cases of flu symptoms tend to cluster geographically—so flu symptoms may not have arrived to your neck of the woods, yet. Unfortunately, as holiday travel picks up, those clusters of flu symptoms are expected to spread, and the CDC is warning everyone to take precautions.
Flu symptoms, unlike cold symptoms, strike more quickly and severely. High fever, aches/malaise, and respiratory symptoms like coughing and wheezing are all a sign of the flu.
To help prevent the flu, make sure you are running a humidifier or other source of humidity in your home—it slows transmission, so that if one family member gets sick, you have a better chance of not having everyone in the household get sick!
It’s also of the utmost importance to wash your hands as much as possible during flu season. Between airport germs, stores being bombarded by holiday shoppers, bakers, and cooks, and all of those out of town visitors, you can plan on being exposed to a high number of pathogens at a time when most people have weakened immune systems. Hand washing dramatically lowers your chance of catching or spreading the flu and other diseases.
Don’t forget: strengthen and support your immune system. Eat nutritionally, especially since many people are getting less Vitamin D from the sun this time of year; make sure you get enough sleep, and support your immune system with MesoSilver Colloidal Silver. Take a bottle with you when you travel, set some out for your stay-in guests, and make sure your family is stocked up.
Will the particularly bad flu season be affecting any of your holiday plans?
