The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that this season’s flu vaccine is apparently a good match for the spreading virus if data so far is taken into consideration.
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Health officials said that there was a decline in flu reports because the influenza virus stays for longer time in the cold weather. Additionally, even if you have had the flu already, it’s possible to become ill with one or more of the other strains circulating.
With flu activity confirmed in the state, it’s the right time for adults and children to get a flu shot.
“If you do it within about 24 to 48 hours after the onset of your symptoms, they can prescribe for you an anti-viral medication that will prevent you from having as much illness, and as serious an illness”, Quinlisk says.
The City of Milwaukee Health Department was selected by the CDC, in collaboration with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), to pilot Flu on Call.
The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses.
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Flu shot clinics in the Eastern Health region have been busy so far this season, but efforts are still underway to encourage everyone to get their immunization. It comes on suddenly and symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. Three people have died during the current flu season, compared to six by early January 2015. But the department does conduct year-round influenza surveillance through the Iowa Influenza Surveillance Network that indicates what types of influenza viruses are circulating and how widespread the illness is.
