Influenza season is now entering its most active months and subsequently, the Iowa Department of Public Health is urging Iowans to take steps to stay healthy in 2009.
"We see the majority of our cases after the holidays and we have our peaks in mid- to late January and into February," said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk of the Iowa Department of Public Health.
However, the influenza should not be confused with the stomach flu.
"It's going around really bad right now," said Trisha Nichols, a registered nurse with Webster County Public Health. "There should be no comparison to influenza, which is respitory, it's completely different."
Influenza is a preventable respiratory illness caused by viruses. It spreads easily and can cause mild to severe illness. The flu comes on suddenly and symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. The flu typically last two to seven days.
Those with the highest risk of getting severely ill are the very young, the very old, and those with medical complications, Quinlisk said.
The best prevention against influenza is getting a yearly flu shot.
"There's still time," said Quinlisk, "There's not a lot of flu activity in Iowa, but we expect it to start picking up."
Flu shots are available from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at Webster County Public Health. Appointments are also available by calling 573-4107.
For those who do contract the flu, Quinlisk had advice to reduce the length of the illness.
"Stay home, drink plenty of fluids, and give your body the chance the heal," Quinlisk said, "It can take your body a longer time to heal if you push it too much."
Though many people forget or choose not to get vaccinated against influenza, in some cases it can be a matter of life or death.
"What people don't realize is that otherwise healthy children die of flu. It's not common, but we do have a child die every year or two," Quinlisk said.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health there has been sporadic activity of influenza across Iowa with one confirmed case.
There have been no positive cases of influenza at Trinity Regional Medical Center, said Shannon McQuillen, Executive Director of the Trinity Health Foundation.
Contact Ian Schmit at (515) 576 - 2141 or ischmit@messengernews.net