October means sweater weather and the arrival of our beautiful Fall Foliage, but it’s also the start of flu season. while this may seem early, don’t wait to take steps to protect yourself this flu season.  Fear not, as the flu, if dealt with early on, is preventable! Sometimes, however it can be hard to know if what you have is the flu or just a cold. Fear not because the Doctors here at AFC are here to help!

How do you know if it’s the flu or a cold?

While the flu and a cold or your garden variety upper respiratory illness can be very similar,  the flu fever starts abruptly,  while with a cold there may or may not be a fever at all, and if there is one, it’s more gradual. A flu fever can go up to 104 degrees, while  a cold usually will go up to 99-100. With the flu it’s is very common to have body aches, joint aches, decreased appetite, headaches and a dry cough. With a cold, you might experience some of the same symptoms, but  the prevalent symptoms are going to be a runny stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, a cough, and possibly a low-grade fever.

Who is at risk for having complications from the flu?

• Pregnant Women
• People 65 years of age and older
• Kids 5 years of age and younger
• People who have Chronic Diseases, such as:
• Heart Disease
• Metabolic Diseases (Diabetes)
• Asthma
• Pulmonary Disease
• Liver Disease
• Sickle Cell Disease
• Immunosuppressed individuals (not only individuals with AIDS but people undergoing chemotherapy as well)

What are the complications that we worry about with the flu?

• Ear Infections
• Sinus Infections
• Pneumonia
• Tracheobronchitis (croup)

Who Should not get the flu vaccine?

According to the CDC, there are certain people for whom the flu vaccine is not recommended. These include people who have had prior severe reactions to the flu vaccine, and interestingly enough, people who have egg allergies, as the flu vaccine does contain a small amount of egg protein.

How to Prevent Flu

The best way to prevent against the flu is the actual flu shot. This year we are able to offer the quadrivalent flu vaccine which helps guard against 4 different types of flu- 2 different types of viruses- 2 types of Influenza A and 2 types of Influenza B.

At AFC Urgent Care Danbury you can walk right in, no appointment necessary, to our  walk-in clinic. We are located at 179 Talcottville Rd, Vernon, CT 06066 . AFC Urgent Care Vernon is open 7 days a week Monday-Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday-Sunday 8am-5pm. Staffed by licensed professionals, we accept most insurances.