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It usually starts with a sore throat, and moves on to include a runny or stuffy nose. That’s a cold. A flu, on the other hand, hits you all at once, with a headache, sore throat, fever, muscle pain and respiratory problems, but you’re less likely to have nasal problems. The good news: You can easily prevent and treat these wicked wintertime illnesses. Our colds and flu guide will help you win the battle of the bug, so that if you do fall prey, you can return to your busy life faster and healthier than ever.Should You Get the Flu Vaccine?
Yes. The vaccine works. It can—and does—prevent illness. Maybe you heard about recent studies that found the vaccine isn't effective, or that the virus is becoming resistant, but the same research found that, in some cases, the vaccine lowered rates of pneumonia and hospitalization due to the flu, says Neil Schachter, MD, author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds & Flu. It's most important for health care workers and those at high risk (pregnant women, the elderly, children under age 2, anyone with health problems) to get vaccinated. And with the 2003 introduction of FluMist, even needlephobes have no reason to back out: The nasal spray offers the same protection for healthy people ages 5 to 49 who aren't pregnant.
Will the vaccine protect against avian flu? No one knows for sure, say experts, but it may enhance your defenses. And you won't get sick after getting the vaccine. Regardless of what you've heard, there is absolutely no risk of getting the flu from the standard flu vaccine, says Aaron E. Glatt, MD, spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. So if you haven't gotten your shot, do it now. It's not too late.
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