HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson today announced that a 13-year-old Philadelphia County teen has the season's first, lab-confirmed case of flu.
The Department of Health's laboratory confirmed late yesterday that the teen had Type A-Fujian influenza, which is a strain included in this year's flu vaccine.
"Now that flu season has arrived in Pennsylvania, every resident should remember to practice healthy habits," said Dr. Johnson. "Routines such as washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough and staying home when you are sick can lessen your risk of getting the flu or reduce the severity of the illness."
Flu season typically arrives in late November through March. Its symptoms include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and muscle aches. Children can have additional gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but these symptoms are uncommon in adults.
The flu spreads in respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. It usually spreads from person to person by touching something with the virus on it and then touching the mouth or nose.
High-risk individuals, who are those listed below, can experience complications from the flu and should consult a health-care provider if they develop flu-like symptoms.
-- All children aged 6-23 months;
-- Adults aged 65 years and older;
-- Persons aged 2-64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions;
-- All women who will be pregnant during the influenza season;
-- Residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities;
-- Children aged 6 months-18 years on chronic aspirin therapy;
-- Health-care workers involved in direct patient care; and
-- Out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children who are less
than 6 months of age.
Now that flu and cold season is here, it is important to remember that following these basic steps can help prevent the spread of germs to others:
-- Wash hands thoroughly before and after preparing food, before eating
and after using the restroom.
-- Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and wash your
hands to prevent spreading germs to objects like doorknobs and other
household items.
-- Get plenty of rest, eat properly and dress appropriately for the
weather.
-- Minimize time in crowded areas during the flu season, when the risk of
exposure to germs increases.
-- When practical, avoid contact with others if you have the flu.
-- Get immunized with the pneumococcal vaccine if you are a high-risk
individual. Pneumonia is one of the serious illnesses resulting from
getting the flu.
Antivirals, which are medications that lessen flu symptoms of illness and shorten the duration of illness, can be obtained through a doctor's prescription. Individuals who are diagnosed with the flu need to receive treatment with an antiviral within two days of the onset of symptoms for it to be effective. Although antivirals are helpful, most healthy people recover from the flu without complications.
Due to the flu vaccine shortage this year, it is recommended that only high-risk individuals receive a flu shot. An option for healthy individuals who want to be vaccinated from the flu is nasal-spray flu vaccine. It is a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu. These types of vaccine are approved for use in healthy people from ages 5-49 who are not pregnant. About 3 million doses of nasal-spray vaccine will be available in the United States this flu season.
For more information on influenza, call the Health Department's toll-free number at 1-877-PA-HEALTH or visit http://www.health.state.pa.us/.
CONTACT: Jessica Seiders, Pennsylvania Department of Health, +1-717-787-1783.
Pennsylvania Department of HealthCONTACT: Jessica Seiders, Pennsylvania Department of Health,+1-717-787-1783