Page 12 - Desert Lightning News 11-6-15

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Flu season in full swing - get vaccinated
Airman 1st Class Ridge Shan
56 Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Cooler weather and browning
leaves harken the onset of autumn, but so too does a runny nose and
sore throat.
Influenza is a contagious disease that spreads around the United
States every year, typically between the months of October and May,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The flu is most often spread by coughing, sneezing or close con-
tact,” said Senior Airman Cassandra Saunders, 56th Medical Opera-
tions Squadron aerospace medical technician. “You touch your nose,
you touch your mouth, and then you touch something that someone
else touches and they touch their nose or mouth and suddenly you’ve
just spread the disease.”
A variety of symptoms are brought on by the flu, including fever,
chills, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, cough, headache, and runny
or stuffy nose. Many of these symptoms are common in other illness-
es; however, and can make the flu difficult for untrained individuals to
diagnose. Additionally, the flu can lead to more dangerous conditions
like pneumonia and blood infections, and can even cause diarrhea and
seizures in children.
“The influenza virus can actually be deadly, especially for young
children, or elderly patients, or anyone whose immune system is com-
promised,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Banghart, 56th MDOS allergy and im-
munizations NCO in charge. “It should not be confused with the com-
mon cold. A lot of people say when they get sick, they have the flu. If
that were actually the case, a lot more of these people would be ending
up in a hospital.”
As the flu season begins to sweep across the nation in full effect, the
Air Force is stepping up its efforts to combat sickness and maintain a
healthy and ready fighting force. These efforts are among the top of the
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56th Medical Operations Group’s priorities, where MDOS Airmen are
preparing to fight the flu through both a campaign for awareness and
a drive to vaccinate as many base personnel and community members
as possible.
“The flu vaccine is no different from any other vaccine,” Banghart
said. “A vaccine is an inactivated virus. We expose your immune sys-
tem to it and then your body attacks it and produces antibodies against
it that will later allow your body to kill live virus. That’s how you gain
immunity.”
The flu is spread by many different Influenza viruses, some more
common than others, and most of them constantly changing. Fortu-
nately, the MDOS is equipped to counter this threat.
“We carry the quadrivalent vaccine, which protects against four of
the strains of the influenza virus which are predicted to be the most
prevalent this season,” Banghart said.
In combination with healthy sanitation practices like washing your
hands often and covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing,
getting a vaccination is one of the most important things you can do
to help prevent the spread of the flu.
“Getting vaccinated will not only protect you, it will protect oth-
ers as well,” Saunders said. “If you get the disease, chances are good
you’ll pass it on to someone else too. There are immuno-compromised
people out there who can’t get the vaccine, say because they are on
chemotherapy treatments, and you’re putting them at risk by not get-
ting the vaccine.”
Each year, thousands of people in the United States die from the
flu. The CDC recommends that everyone receive a dose of flu vaccine
each season.
“Don’t be afraid of the needle,” Saunders said. “It’s better to get poked
once by a needle now to build immunity than to have to get poked and
prodded repeatedly for bloodwork, and medication, and IVs in order
to combat the disease after you’ve contracted it.”
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