Former US President Bill Clinton’s experience this week was a reminder of two things about the flu. First, it is now clearly flu season in the United States. Second, the flu can cause some serious, potentially life-threatening problems. Thirdly, it is therefore important to take flu prevention seriously. Okay, three things.

Bill Clinton was treated in a hospital for the flu

Mistaking the flu for a cold can be like confusing a lion with a house cat. Clinton, 78, was admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital on Monday after developing a fever. After treatment and observation, he was discharged the next day. His deputy chief of staff, Angel Ureña, issued a statement saying of the 42nd president: “He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.”

Clinton’s age, over 65, puts her at higher risk for the worst effects of the flu. The same goes for younger children, people with a chronic illness, and anyone else whose immune system may be weakened. But just because you’re young and have the immune system befitting the Jack Reacher character doesn’t mean a flu-like illness, including death, can’t happen to you. As long as you have lungs and are breathing air, you are at least at some risk. And even if you don’t end up getting sick enough to require hospitalization, you probably won’t say you just have the flu. a flu-like infection.

The flu numbers have increased

Clinton certainly wasn’t the only one who recently came down with the flu and ended up in the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least 1.9 million people have fallen ill and 23,000 have been hospitalized during the current flu season. The death toll for the current season is 970. These numbers are certainly not remotely comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic numbers. But they are not to be despised either.

Furthermore, these numbers are likely to increase significantly in the coming weeks. The CDC’s weekly U.S. influenza surveillance report showed that 9% of reported flu test results were positive in the week ending December 14, 2024, week 50 of 2024. That’s up from 5% the previous week. That means the current surge in cases will likely peak sometime in January before tapering off. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the worst is over afterward. Flu seasons have had more than one peak in the past

Two influenza A subtypes are responsible for this flu surge

The main cause of this flu surge appears to be two subtypes of influenza A. In week 50 of this year, testing by public health laboratories in various parts of the United States identified 842 cases of influenza A viruses and 29 of influenza B viruses. They subtyped 593 of the influenza A viruses and found that 274 or 46.2% of them were influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, 317 or 53.5% were A(H3N2), and 2 or 0.3% were A(H5). .

Just because you’re experiencing flu-like symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have the flu. Only testing can tell you whether you have the flu or whether a number of other respiratory viruses can cause flu-like symptoms, including respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, adenovirus and human metapneumovirus.

Whether it is actually COVID-19 can only be determined with certainty through testing. The symptoms of COVID-19 can resemble those of the flu, although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is something of a reality show contestant of respiratory viruses. The symptoms that SARS-CoV-2 can cause are less predictable and include a wider range of possibilities. While flu symptoms typically appear suddenly about 48 hours after exposure and immediately worsen before peaking and then improving, COVID-19 symptoms can appear in all sorts of patterns. Also, there is no so-called long flu comparable to long COVID.

How to protect yourself from the flu

The best way to prevent the bad effects of the flu is, drumroll please, to avoid getting the flu in the first place. It really helps to get a flu shot. It’s not too late to get a flu shot, as it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to fully kick in, and flu season typically lasts until at least spring and in some cases even May.

Washing the dirty paws you call your hands also helps a lot. I have previously written for Forbes about how bad many people are at washing their hands. Remember to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. The following image shows how to do this correctly:

Lather your hands for at least 20 seconds, which is about as long as it takes to sing from the beginning of the song “I Touch Myself” to the first chorus.

And that six-foot warning you heard so often at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 still applies to the flu. Respiratory droplets containing flu viruses tend to be larger than those containing SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, gravity prevents someone infected with influenza viruses from coughing or sneezing, from traveling more than a Ryan Gosling distance, or whoever your favorite six-foot-one may be.

If you get the flu, taking an antiviral like Tamiflu or Relenza can help reduce the severity and duration of your symptoms, but only if you take it early enough. Such antivirals prevent the virus from multiplying in your respiratory tract. However, the greatest replication occurs within the first 48 hours after initial exposure to the virus.

And finally, don’t listen to the people who say the flu isn’t a big deal, that it’s no worse than a cold. People may listen to claims that contradict science, but viruses don’t.