It's Flu Season! What to Know About the Flu's Staying Power

Flu season is upon us, so it’s time that you receive some basic knowledge on the matter. Your trusted radiology experts at SDMI will tell you everything important you need to know so you can take the proper steps in staying healthy this fall.What is the Flu?Often times, people refer to the flu as just a really bad cold. This is completely untrue. The flu is an entirely different type of illness. The only similarity of the two is that they are both extremely contagious. The symptoms of a cold are much less severe. Some of the symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever
• Aches
• Chills
• Fatigue
• Dry cough
• Headache
• Chest pain

How long after exposure until symptoms occur?The time period from exposure until the illness strikes is known as the flu incubation period. This time can range from 24 hours up to four days.People who contract the flu often describe feeling as though they were hit by a truck. Unlike the common cold, symptoms of the flu come all at once. You’ll wake up in the morning feeling fine then, by dinner time, you’ll be in bed unable to move.When is the flu contagious?When you come down with the flu, you want to be careful about the people you expose yourself to. The flu is extremely contagious for up to 10 days after the onset of symptoms. An interesting thing to make note of is that the flu is actually contagious a day before the symptoms start. Of course, there is no way of knowing that you are coming down with the flu in the future, so people around you won’t know to take precautions.As a parent, be aware of children with the flu. They remain contagious longer than adults. If they have immune system problems, they can actually spread the influenza for months.Is the flu preventable?There is no 100 percent guarantee, but there are some preventive options that work pretty well. The flu vaccine is your best bet at preventing the illness. Just know that the flu vaccine has to be re-administered once a year because it becomes ineffective over time. In addition to the flu vaccine, people are encouraged to wash their hands frequently, consume vitamin D, and use humidifiers.Unfortunately, once you have been exposed to the flu, there is no way of scientifically proven way to prevent the illness. There are many products on the market that claim to prevent it, but no research has proven it to be true.Though the flu is more common, it’s important to be knowledgeable about other diseases as well. Schedule an appointment with the desert radiology Las Vegas professionals at Steinberg Diagnostic. They can inform you of cancer prevention methods and perform early detection scans. For more information about the Las Vegas radiology center, contact 702.732.6000.