Doctors seeing uptick in flu cases days before Christmas

No one wants to be sick during the holidays, but the flu virus loves this time of year. It thrives in cold, dry conditions. Sniffling, sneezing, body aches and fever. It definitely sounds like the flu. This year, doctors are seeing mostly influenza Type A, which is a more serious flu strain. Dr. Wesley Willeford with the Jefferson County Department of Health said, “The flu is not a bad cold, meaning that the symptoms are far more intense than you might think that they're going to be. And that's why we encourage people who are having those symptoms, one, to get tested, but to try and find a provider somewhere that can give them these medications that can drastically shorten the course of the illness.” If you test positive for the flu, your doctor can prescribe oseltamivir, or Tamiflu, which can lessen the symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness. But Willeford said you still need to do your part to prevent the spread of this very contagious virus. He added, “If you're getting ready to go to a big holiday party where there's a lot of people, you're not feeling well, really think about things before you head out just because that's a perfect place for you to spread a lot of the virus to other people and get a lot of other people sick.” While no one wants to be sick over the holidays, many people are off work and out of school right now. This break, when most of us will be staying home with family, may help slow the spread.It's too soon to know if this year's flu vaccine is targeting the strains we'll see more of this season. Doctors say even if it's not accurate, it is beneficial. “There’s still time to get your flu shot. It may not get you protected through the, through the Christmas holidays. But certainly, you've got a lot of flu season left to go before we're on the other end of it,” said Willeford.