Prevention of Flu
Prevention of Flu:
Methods of prevention of Flu mentioned in various sources
includes those listed below.
This prevention information is gathered from various sources,
and may be inaccurate or incomplete.
None of these methods guarantee prevention of Flu.
- Avoid contagion
- Avoid exposure to people with flu
- Handwashing
- Avoid touching eyes or nose with your hands
- Flu vaccination - annual vaccination against various flu strains; either avoids flu or reduces its severity and complications.
- Anti-viral preventive medications:
- Tamiflu® (oseltamivir)
- Flumadine® (rimantadine)
- Symmetrel® (amantadine)
Medications used to prevent Flu:
Some of the different medications in the possible prevention of Flu include:
- Influenza vaccine
- Flu-Immune
- FluMist
- Fluoge
- Flu-Shield
- Fluzone
- Fluvirin
- Fluviral S/F
- Vaxigrip
Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Medical news about treatments for Flu
These medical news articles may be relevant to Flu treatment:
Flu Prevention: Book Excerpts
Clinical Trials for Flu
Some of the clinical trials for Flu include:
Rare Types of Flu:
Some rare types of Flu include:
Latest Treatments for Flu
Some of the more recent treatments for Flu include:
Treatments for Flu
Treatments to consider for Flu may include:
Prevention of Flu:
New Flu Drugs Neuraminidase Inhibitors, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)
Oseltamivir also is approved for preventing
influenza A and B in people 13 years and older.
Currently,
oseltamivir is the only neuraminidase inhibitor approved to
prevent the flu. (Source: excerpt from New Flu Drugs Neuraminidase Inhibitors, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
New Flu Drugs Neuraminidase Inhibitors, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)
Neither the neuraminidase inhibitors nor the older flu
drugs are a substitute for the flu shot. The flu shot can provide
season-long protection against influenza A and B and more
effectively prevent you from spreading the virus to others. (Source: excerpt from New Flu Drugs Neuraminidase Inhibitors, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)
The main way to
keep from getting the flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine. You can
get the vaccine at your doctor's office or a local clinic, and in
many communities at workplaces, supermarkets, and drugstores. You
must get the vaccine every year because it changes.
Scientists make a different vaccine every year because the
strains of flu viruses change from year to year. Nine to 10 months
before the flu season begins, they prepare a new vaccine made from
inactivated (killed) flu viruses. Because the viruses are killed,
they cannot cause infections. The vaccine preparation is based on
the strains of the flu viruses that are in circulation at the time.
It includes those A and B viruses (see section below on types of flu
viruses) expected to circulate the following winter.
Sometimes, an unpredicted new strain may appear after the
vaccine has been made and distributed to doctors and clinics.
Because of this, even if you do get the flu vaccine, you still may
get infected. If you do get infected, however, the disease usually
is milder because the vaccine still will give you some
protection.
Your immune system takes time to respond to the
flu vaccine. Therefore, you should get vaccinated six to eight weeks
before flu season begins to prevent getting infected or reduce the
severity of flu if you do get it. The vaccine itself cannot cause
the flu, but you could become exposed to the virus by someone else
and get infected soon after you are
vaccinated. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)
If you are in any of the
following groups or live in a household with someone who is, CDC
recommends that you get the flu vaccine.
- You are 50 years of age or older.
- You have chronic diseases of your heart, lungs, or kidneys.
- You have diabetes.
- Your immune system does not function properly.
- You have a severe form of anemia.
- You will be more than three months pregnant during the flu
season.
- You live in a nursing home or other chronic-care housing
facility.
The vaccine can be administered to children as
young as six months old. Children should get the flu vaccine if they
are taking long-term aspirin treatment as they may be at risk of
developing Reye's syndrome following a flu infection (see section on
complications in children). They should also get the flu vaccine if
they live in a household with someone in the above
groups.
Health care workers and volunteers should get the flu
vaccine if they work with patients in any of the above
groups. (Source: excerpt from
The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)
Although the flu vaccine is the
best way to prevent getting the flu, three antiviral medicines also
are available by prescription that will help prevent flu infection:
- Tamiflu® (oseltamivir)
- Flumadine® (rimantadine)
- Symmetrel® (amantadine)
The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has approved Tamiflu® for use in adults and
adolescents 13 years and older. Rimantadine and amantadine have been
approved for use by adults and children who are 1 year of age and
older.
Rimantadine and amantadine have unpleasant side
effects. Your doctor can help you decide which medicine is best for
you.
- These medicines help prevent the flu if you take them for at
least two weeks during the outbreak of flu in your community.
- You may use these medicines if you are in close contact with
family members or others who have the flu.
- You may use them if you are in close contact with people who
have been vaccinated but whom you want to give added protection
from getting the flu.
- You may use either medicine immediately following flu
vaccination during a flu epidemic to protect you during the two-
to four-week period before antibodies (proteins from your immune
system that protect you from the flu virus) develop or when a flu
epidemic is caused by virus strains other than those covered by
the vaccine.
You should discuss the flu vaccine and the
medicines with your doctor before the flu season begins. (Source: excerpt from
The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
Facts About Flu (Influenza): CDC-OC (Excerpt)
Annual flu shots are recommended for people who are at high risk of
having a serious complication when they get the flu. Groups at increased
risk include:
- Persons >65 years of age
- Residents of nursing homes and chronic-care facilities
- Adults and children who have chronic disorders of the pulmonary or
cardiovascular systems, including children with asthma
- Adults and children who have required regular medical follow-up or
hospitalization during the preceding year because of chronic metabolic
diseases (including diabetes), renal dysfunction, hemoglobinopathies,
or immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by
medications).
- Children and teenagers (6 months - 18 years) who are receiving
long-term aspirin therapy and, therefore, might be at risk for
developing Reye syndrome after the flu
- Women who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy
during the flu season.
(Source: excerpt from
Facts About Flu (Influenza): CDC-OC)
Shots for Safety - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)
Flu viruses change all the time. For this reason, you need to get
a flu shot every year. To give your body time to build the proper
defense, it's important to get a flu shot between September and
mid-November, before the flu season usually starts. (Source: excerpt from Shots for Safety - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)
Flu Treatment: Book Excerpts
Prevention Claims: Flu
Information on prevention of Flu comes from many sources.
There are some sources that claim preventive benefits
for many different diseases for various products.
We may present such information
in the hope that it may be useful,
however, in some cases claims of Flu prevention may be
dubious, invalid, or not recognized in mainstream medicine.
Please discuss any treatment, discontinuation of treatment,
or change of treatment plans with your doctor
or professional medical specialist.
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