MedWatch- Flu shots keep you healthy for the holidays from Medwatch 7 KSWO on Vimeo.
LAWTON, OK (KSWO)- With flu season here, Comanche County Memorial Hospital is encouraging people to get their flu shot. Doctors say it’s a great way to stay healthy for the holidays.
Family Medicine doctor Nicole McFarland says the flu is preventable with a vaccine. And you can get the shot starting in October. But besides the shot, there are some other tips you can follow to help you stay healthy.
“Wash your hands if you’re sick. If you have coughing, you don’t want to spread it. So, the more washing the better. If you happen to be coughing and hacking up a lung, put on a mask. And don’t go around other people, especially the elderly and the young, if you know you’re sick.”
Dr. McFarland says to get the flu shot, don’t wait till you are sick. She says signs and symptoms can vary.
“The body aches, they’re feeling fatigued. They wake up and they’re just not feeling well. Cough and congestion can go with the flu, but it also can go with other infections. But the main thing is the body aches and the fever.”
The flu shot is given from ages 6 months old all the way up to the elderly. Dr. McFarland says the majority of her patients, if not all of the ones who get the flu, have not been vaccinated.
“That is a common misconception, that if you get the flu shot, you will get the flu. That is not true. If you do not have an anaphylactic reaction to the vaccinations you should get the flu shot.”
Talk with your doctor about getting your flu shot. And if you or your child are feeling sick, Dr. McFarland says the quicker you get checked out, the easier it is for them to treat you.
Copyright 2017 KSWO. All rights reserved.