According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 28 million cases of the flu were reported in the United States during the 2023-2024 flu season. Symptoms can be mild, but for more vulnerable populations it can lead to hospitalization and even death. With the height of flu season—between December and March—rapidly approaching, it is important to take precautions to stay healthy this winter.
The most effective way to reduce the risk of contracting the flu is to receive the flu vaccine annually. The flu vaccine was first administered to the American public in 1945 after being developed for the military at the University of Michigan by Thomas Francis and Jonas Salk. According to a 2020 study, during the flu season of 2019-2020, the vaccine prevented an estimated seven million cases of the flu, including 100,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 7,000 deaths.
We spoke with Dr. Angela Morgan, a board certified in family and preventative medicine and owner of Morgan Family Medicine, about how to protect yourself and your family from influenza.
When asked who should receive the flu vaccine, Morgan said, “Almost everyone should, but it is particularly important for children, the elderly, those who are immunocompromised and pregnant women to receive the vaccine. Infants can start getting the flu shot at six months of age. Unfortunately, getting the flu shot may not mean that you do not get the flu, but if you do, you can expect milder symptoms.” Morgan noted that she vaccinates herself and her four children every year.
The flu presents similarly to COVID, with vague respiratory symptoms such as congestion, cough, headache and sore throat—so it can be difficult to distinguish which virus you may have contracted. “Both can present with or without fever or significant body aching,” Morgan said. “The best way to know is to be tested either at an urgent care or your primary care office. Rapid flu testing is most accurate within the first three to four days of symptoms appearing, so it is best to be tested relatively quickly.”
If you are diagnosed with the flu, there are few options for treatment. According to Morgan, “There are some medications that can be used to treat the flu, as well as to prevent the flu in exposed individuals, but the treatment is primarily supportive. We recommend over-the-counter medications for symptom control as the mainstay of treatment.” If you are diagnosed with the flu, she recommended isolating for five days from the onset of symptoms if you are not running a fever. With a fever, isolate until you have been without a fever for 24 hours without using any fever-reducing medication.
To learn more about the flu guidelines in 2024, visit the CDC’s website here.
