If you haven’t gotten a flu shot, the Arkansas Health Department urges you to get one. National Influenza Vaccination Week runs during the week of December 9-13.
Health professionals say the last two years have been especially rough during the flu season in Arkansas. They report the 2011-2012 season was the worst they had seen in more than 30 years. During the 2012-2013 season, they report Arkansas had a higher rate of flu-rated deaths in children than in any state.
Flu symptoms include fever over 100 degrees, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, and occasional stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Those who are most at risk during the flu season are older adults, young children, pregnant women, people who live in facilities like nursing homes, and some who have health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease.
Those with the ADH say the best way to prevent flu is to get vaccinated every year. The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to provide full protection.
