influenza

Why get a Flu test?

Rapid flu tests can tell you in about ten minutes if you have the flu; why don’t doctors use these all the time, instead of wasting your time with more questions or examining you?

POSITIVE flu tests are GREAT, and yes, they speed up our assessment. We STILL need to examine you to see, for example, if your cough is aggravated with wheezing in an asthma-like response (because that involves an additional, different treatment) or if it sounds like you have developed a pneumonia (either directly from the influenza virus or as a secondary bacterial infection)-again, different treatment.

A … Read more

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Campus Flu Shot Clinics Starting NOW

Flu Shot Time!

Attention Longhorns, Aggies, and everyone else, flu season is upon us, so it’s time for your annual flu vaccine. Check with your campus health services to see if they are offering vaccine clinics.

At UT: UHS is providing flu shot clinics starting TOMORROW, Tuesday, 9/24/18.

For a complete schedule and information about the vaccine and the flu, go to www.healthyhorns.utexas.edu.

This week’s flu shot clinics include:
Tuesday, 9/25/18 – noon–4 p.m. – Student Services Building (SSB G1.310)
Wednesday, 9/26/18 – 1–4 p.m. – Facilities Complex Building 1 (FC1 1.118)
Thursday, 9/27/18 – noon–4 p.m. – … Read more

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Is it Ebola? Or “just” the FLU?

You have a fever, chills, sore throat muscle aches, headache, nausea and vomiting…is it Ebola Virus? Or perhaps that new respiratory virus (Enterovirus 68)? While technically speaking, it is possible for your illness to be caused by one of these dreaded agents, the odds are very much against it. However, you very well may have the FLU.

NOW is the time to get your flu vaccine- please! The flu vaccine is recommended for EVERYONE aged 6 months and older (who does not have a contraindication for the immunization.) We are already seeing cases of flu here in Austin, as … Read more

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I Got Mine! Did You Get Yours?

As we zip into the holiday season, give yourself the GIFT of a flu vaccine NOW so you are not struck down with this illness at the busiest time of year! Flu shots have been available for a few weeks and seem to be available everywhere.  Clinics, schools, grocery stores, pharmacies and many employers are all offering flu shots these days. Add a flu shot to your grocery list- I’ll bet the pharmacy there is stocked and you won’t even have to add an extra stop on your weekly errands.

Who should get the flu vaccine?
The Center for Disease … Read more

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What about Tamiflu? Should you take it?

So if you GET the flu, should you take Tamiflu? Or less known, Relenza?

Ah, that’s the million dollar question…literally, since Tamiflu and Relenza are the only drugs FDA approved and indicated for this year’s flu. These drugs are flying off the shelves as the flu season kicks into full gear, and we are desperate to get over the flu as fast as possible. Much is being debated these days about the efficacy of these anti-viral drugs. What do we know?

We know that antiviral treatment typically shortens the symptoms of the flu by at least twenty-four hours. We know … Read more

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