Should you get a Flu Shot?

If you want to avoid catching influenza this season, we recommend that you get a flu shot. People with asthma and other lung diseases should always get a flu shot, without exception.

What if you already have Flu symptoms?

Flu symptoms include high fever (101 degrees or above), cough, sore throat, chills, and body and muscle aches.

If you have these symptoms and think you have the flu, see your doctor, nurse, or healthcare provider.

• Avoid close contact with people who have a cold, especially during the first few days when they are most likely to spread the infection
• Wash your hands after touching someone who has a cold, after touching an object they have touched, and after blowing your own nose. If your child has a cold, wash his or her toys after play
• Keep your fingers away from your nose and your eyes to avoid infecting yourself with cold virus particles that you may have picked up
• Put up a second hand towel in the bathroom for healthy people to use
• Keep an eye on the humidity of your environment so that your sinuses do not dry out

Complications of a Cold
Colds get better within a few days to weeks, whether or not you take medication. However, a cold virus can pave the way for other infections to invade the body, including sinus or ear infections, and bronchitis. A common complication is a sinus infection with a prolonged cough. If you have asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema, your symptoms of those conditions may be worsened for many weeks even after your cold has gone away.