Traveling during the holidays? Get your flu shot to avoid germs

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Traveling during the holidays? Get your flu shot to avoid germs

Are you planning to travel this holiday season? If so, the CDC highly recommends that you get your flu shot in order to avoid spreading or catching germs from other travelers. Getting the flu shot in general is highly recommended to keep yourself safe from getting the flu this season. However, people who plan to travel may have a greater risk of being exposed to germs given the close contact with large amounts of people who plan on getting on a plane, bus, or train. 

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How to protect your child from whooping cough

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How to protect your child from whooping cough

Pertussis, known by its common name whooping cough, is a highly contagious disease that affects an estimated 48.5 million people worldwide each year, and results in almost 300,000 deaths.

These numbers seem extremely high, and it is partially due to the subtlety of the disease.  Symptoms are typically confused with the common cold and are worse at night, making whooping cough hard to diagnose.   

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What you need to know about this flu season

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What you need to know about this flu season

Chances are, if you’ve been following the news over the past couple of days, you’ve heard reports that the flu season in the U.S. is off to its earliest start in nearly a decade and it could be the worst we’ve experienced in a while.  

During the 2003-2004 flu season, one of the most lethal seasons in the past 35 years, the dominant flu strain was influenza A (H3N2), similar to this year.  Historically, flu seasons where H3N2 was the predominant strain have been more severe, with higher numbers of hospitalizations and deaths.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 76 percent of this season’s reported cases have been of the H3N2 strain.  

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Tips for staying healthy during cold and flu season

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Tips for staying healthy during cold and flu season

A few weeks ago I spoke about the importance of influenza vaccinations, being that we are on the verge of flu season. 

Vaccinations are the best way to prevent infection with this virus.  

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To treat or not to treat: Antibiotics not always best for sinus infection

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To treat or not to treat: Antibiotics not always best for sinus infection

Every year, more than 37 million Americans suffer from at least one episode of sinusitis. Typically, the symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose and pressure or pain felt behind the eyes or teeth. These symptoms are caused by inflammation and infection of the sinuses.  

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