"We'd need to treat 13 children with the preventive course of one of these drugs to prevent one of them from getting flu, " Thompson said.
But even if such recommendations were universally followed, they would not halt the spread of the disease, she said, noting that an infected person can spread the virus prior to getting flu symptoms.
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That said, most physicians and public health experts recommend people to stick to the basics for flu prevention: washing your hands thoroughly, getting a flu shot, staying home for work or school to avoid spreading the virus, and vigorously cleaning surfaces that you frequently touch.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, endorsed getting a flu vaccine and frequently washing your hands.
In the meantime, there is a lot you can do to keep from getting the flu yourself.
Getting a flu shot while you're healthy won't give you 100% protection, but it is your best bet.
Frequent travellers are exposed to germs more often than non-travellers, so consider getting a flu shot early in the season.
When it comes to getting the flu, few can keep from playing the blame game, especially during a nasty season like this.
The ad that SafeMinds is trying to run is intended to scare people away from getting their flu vaccine, just as flu season is beginning.
Overall, vaccination is your best protection against getting the flu.
Currently, veterans' private insurance is only charged when they receive health care from the VA for medical issues that are not related to service injuries, like getting the flu.
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As the flu season rages on, most of us try to practice good hygiene by washing our hands, avoiding close contact with others who are ill, and getting a flu shot.
"At this point we have mounting evidence - data and studies - that show it's not getting the shot that causes the problem, but getting the flu that's the problem, " Dolan says.
The Saudi health minister went on television with his daughters, publicly getting their H1N1 flu shots, part of a campaign to alleviate fears about the vaccine.
People who have been thinking about getting a seasonal flu shot ought to act now, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Walgreen and CVS took advantage of the crisis to convince a growing number of state regulators that pharmacists should be allowed to have the expanded role as a way to save lives and potentially money by getting more Americans flu shots from an army of pharmacists.
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For all ages who were vaccinated, there was a 56 percent chance of avoiding getting sick with the flu from any of the three strains in circulation.
Even though it only prevents six out of 10 people who would have gotten the flu from getting sick, it still dramatically slows the spread of the virus and drops your chances of getting ill.
Even though the regular seasonal flu vaccine contains a strain of the A-flu virus group, it will not prevent you from getting sick if you come in contact with the new flu strain.
As with most diseases, the best treatment for Norovirus and flu is to avoid getting them in the first place.
The death count is tiny alongside the 36, 000 Americans killed each year by the flu, but SARS is just getting under way.
The U.S. may be coming down with the flu so the rest of the world is getting ready for - I don't know what - pneumonia?
Unlike most vaccines, flu shots are something that most of us end up getting every year.
If the H1N1 flu virus or a weather event prevents students and faculty from getting to class or moving around campus, Echo 360 provides an answer.
Chair of the National Flu and Pneumococcal Group, Dr Jim McMenamin, warned about the potential consequences of not getting the jab.
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