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What to do when you’ve got the flu special contriBution to austin Md By kvue
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all is here, which means that flu season is here too. From wives tales to home remedies, we thought it a good time to highlight what doctors say are a few of the most common myths about the flu vaccine. At Austin’s hike and bike trails, where people come to walk, run, ride and exercise their way to better health, we gave people a pop quiz on the flu vaccine. Here are some answers we received:
can tHe flu vaccine Give you tHe flu? “I’d say that’s probably true,” says Trent Guerra, an Austin resident. “Th is is a common misconception,” says Albert Gros, M.D., the Chief Medical Officer at St. David’s South Austin Medical Center. “The flu vaccine is made with inactivated viruses, specifically treated to avoid the chance of giving you the flu.” “I’ve gotten the flu vaccine, and I’ve gotten sick hours later,” said Michael McNeilly, an Austin resident. “I guess I was coming down with it, or I was just unlucky.” “Unfortunately, it takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to fully take effect,” says Gros. “What can happen is, people can be exposed to a common cold, or indeed the flu, and come down with it during that time the vaccine hasn’t taken effect.”
Do HealtHy people neeD to Get a flu vaccine? “They don’t,” says Bertha Mendez, an Austin resident. “Your bodies have immune systems that will pre-
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don’t fall for the
Flu season mYths Jim Bergamo kVue anchor and health rePorter
Over the past 30 years, Jim Bergamo has split his journalistic career between news and sports. Bergamo, who says there’s nothing more beautiful than burnt-orange Austin sunset, has been with KVUE since 2006. KVUE, which is the city’s ABC station, is home to Bergamo and co-host Quita Culpepper’s 5 pm broadcast, which is the toprated 5 pm program, according to the latest Nielson ratings.
For More InFo: Catch on KVUE’s 5 pm broadcast and follow him on Twitter: @JimB_KVUE
If you get a flu shot it will lessen the likelihood you will be miserable for 10-14 days
vent you from getting the f lu.” “Again, this is not true for a couple of reasons,” says Gros. “First, if you get a flu shot it will lessen the likelihood that you’ll be miserable for 10-14 days. Secondly, it will help keep you from passing the flu virus to someone else.”
can you catcH tHe flu fRom colD WeatHeR? “No, that’s false,” says McNeilly. “[You can get it] only through human contact, touching your face or not washing your hands; stuff like that.”
DoctoRs say tHat is tHe coRRect ansWeR. “The reason cold weather is usually associated with upper respiratory infections is because we typically spend more time indoors,” says Gros. “Th is is the time of year when these upper respiratory infections are around, so it’s easier to contract them when you’re in confi ned quarters with someone who is coughing and sneezing.”
Dr. gros says There are TWo oTher CoMMon FLu MyThs: Once you get the flu, there’s no treatment options. Anti-viral remedies like Tamiflu can actually shorten the duration, according to Gros. Secondly, many believe there’s no point in getting a flu shot after December. Gros says flu season can often extend into March, so you should still get the vaccine.
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