Influenza arrives in region

The flu is here.

The first confirmed cases of Influenza A and B for the season were documented in Bend late last month, according to Dr. May Fan of the Bend Memorial Clinic Sisters office.

These are the strains targeted by the flu vaccine and, according to Dr. Fan, "it's not too late to get a flu shot."

Those hit with the flu will have little doubt; it comes on suddenly with headache, sore throat, chills and painful muscle aches.

"You get hit hard right from the beginning," Dr. Fan said.

Influenza -- real influenza -- is distinct from the run-of-the-mill viruses that float around all winter, making people feel cruddy. Though people often call those illnesses "the flu," they are not influenza.

The stomach bug that ran through Sisters a couple of weeks back was not flu, either. It was gastroenteritis.

"Influenza does not cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea," said Dr. Fan. "Stomach flu is a misnomer; there is no such thing."

The severity of real influenza is the reason health professionals urge people to get flu vaccinations. It's particularly important for people with respiratory problems like asthma or with other underlying health problems.

The flu can kill you.

Even this late in the season a flu shot offers some protection. But what if you or a family member gets the bug?

Dr. Fan says that anti-viral medications -- if taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms -- won't cure the virus, but they can moderate the severity of the symptoms and shorten the duration of illness by about a day and a half.

The trick is to get to the doctor early with your sore throat, aches and fever.

If one of your family members gets the flu, Dr. Fan recommends a course of anti-virals as a prophylactic.