Texas: Here’s How to Deal with Cold and Flu Season
It affects your respiratory system, tackling your throat, your nose, and your lungs. It’s the flu, and it changes constantly, making it nearly impossible to eradicate.
Officially, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cold and flu season runs from October thru May. But even in Texas, you can still catch a cold or the flu year-round. For example, during the 2019-2020 season, it was estimated that nearly 38 million Americans had the flu. But that doesn’t account for the total number annually.
So, let’s talk about the common cold versus the flu, and how you can keep yourself safe, even as the flu season comes to a close.
Symptoms of a Common Cold
The common cold often looks and feels like the flu. For example, a common cold usually starts with a sore throat and then slowly ramps up to a runny nose (with clear and watery mucus), sneezing, fatigue, and a bit of a cough.
However, with the common cold, you don’t usually experience:
A fever
Aches
Chills
Headache
Same thing with your mucus. While your mucus will get thicker and slightly darker as the cold wears on, it shouldn’t be yellow and you shouldn’t be coughing it up.
Additionally, it’s important to note that you’re the most contagious within the first three days of infection—and can still spread the cold for up to a week after infection.
Flu Symptoms
How the flu differs is pretty simple. You’ll likely experience:
An abrupt onset of symptoms
Chills
Fever
Aches
Fatigue/weakness
Chest discomfort/cough
Headaches
And while it’s not as likely as it is with the common cold, it’s still possible that you can sneeze, and experience a stuffy nose and sore throat.
Additionally, the flu can have serious complications, particularly for those who are immunocompromised, 65 years and older, pregnant women, and children under the age of 5.
If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, it’s recommended that you seek medical attention immediately:
Dizziness
Persisting pain or chest pressure
Seizures
Trouble urinating
Intense muscle pain
Fever or cough that improves, but then comes back worse
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
The Flu Vaccine
According to the CDC, “influenza causes more hospitalizations among young children than any other vaccine-preventable disease.”
The best way to prevent that? With a vaccine, of course!
The flu vaccine is recommended for all people ages 6 months and older. You can get the flu vaccine from most Walgreens, and CVS pharmacies, your local HEB, Walmart, and even from us here at Willowchase Medical!
Most people who choose to get the flu vaccine do not experience any adverse effects aside from soreness at the injection spot. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), “Many common side effects after vaccination, like muscle aches or mild fever, are signs that our bodies are building a healthy immune response to protect us from disease.”
Ask us about the flu vaccine today!