Flu season is in full swing in Kansas, according to an expert from MedExpress.
“We are seeing a dramatic increase over the past two weeks,” said Jane Trombetta, RN, and Vice President of Quality at MedExpress. “Twenty percent of our visits into our centers are related to flu-like illness, which is almost double what it was two weeks ago.”
Influenza is an illness that can make you sick quickly.
“Flu-type symptoms begin all of a sudden,” said Trombetta. “You can get up in the morning and be okay, go to work, go to school and by lunchtime you are down. You just need to go home and lay down. Headaches, fever, chills. You can’t even function. It’s different from a common cold in that it starts all of a sudden and it really smacks you.”
Influenza is also a relatively long lasting illness.
“When you get the flu, you can expect to keep it with you for anywhere from one to two weeks,” said Trombetta. “It’s not something that you’re going to kick over a couple of days. When flu symptoms start and you get that abrupt onset of illness, get to your health care provider quickly, because if you get started on the antiviral drugs within 48 hours, you can reduce the severity of the illness by a day or two. It really matters when you’re at home in bed sick, for up to two weeks.”
Trombetta recommends that anyone who has not gotten their flu shot do so to decrease their risk of flu.
