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Family Flu Shot
November 1, 2008 |
It’s that time of year again-time for the flu. Dr. Thomas
Schiller is a pediatrician with Lee Physician Group. He says, “Flu season is coming.
It always does come every year.”
He wants to remind patients that the flu is much more intense than your common cold.
“When a doctor says 'flu' we’re talking influenza which is a really nasty cold,
fever, cough and you feel like a truck hit you, that’s what makes it so different
from a cold. Some people go on to get pneumonia and ear infections definitely.”
Research shows that one in five households comes down with the flu each season.
But if one member of your family catches the virus it’s usually only a matter of
time before everyone in your home is infected.
Debbie Hixenbaugh is a mother of five and she says every year she dreads flu season.
“It’s me catering to the one that’s sick and then that one complaining and then
the next one. It’s chaos because I have all girls and their complete drama queens.
It’s miserable.”
The best way to prevent that scenario in your home is to make sure that every family
member, from kids to grandparents, gets their flu shot. The kids that get it the
worst are going to be the youngest so infants, also adults, the elderly definitely
can be fatal in both of those categories. Everyone should get it to protect everybody
else,” says Dr. Schiller.
Physicians tell us it’s never too early to start getting the flu shot, a child’s
first flu shot can be given as early as six months old. And remember if you get
your flu shot through your family physician it’s more likely to be covered by health
insurance. |
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