Annual vaccination, regular handwashing, surface cleaning and better indoor ventilation can help families reduce flu infections and serious complications, University of Rochester Medical Center physicians say.
The health system described the flu shot as the strongest single preventive tool. Vaccination can prevent some infections, make symptoms milder when illness occurs and help protect young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
Flu shots are updated annually to target strains expected to circulate, so protection from a prior season is not a substitute for the current vaccine. Pediatric infectious disease chief Jennifer Nayak recommended vaccination by early October because immune protection takes about two weeks to develop.
Handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds remains another basic defense. URMC recommends washing before eating, after spending time in public and after coughing or sneezing, with hand sanitizer as an alternative when soap is unavailable.
Flu viruses can remain on hard surfaces for hours. Families can focus cleaning on doorknobs, switches, countertops, remote controls, phones, faucets, refrigerator handles, cabinet pulls and appliance buttons, using products approved for the intended surface and pathogen.
Electronics can be cleaned with wipes made for devices or a lightly damp microfiber cloth with 70% isopropyl alcohol. HEPA filters, air purifiers and improved ventilation may also reduce exposure because respiratory viruses spread more readily in crowded rooms with poor air circulation.
People with flu may spread the virus about a day before symptoms begin and for up to a week after becoming ill. That means a person can transmit influenza before recognizing that they are sick.
URMC physicians said inactivated flu vaccine contains a protein used by the virus rather than live influenza, so the shot cannot cause the disease. Temporary symptoms after vaccination reflect an immune response.
People with egg allergies can receive influenza vaccine, according to pediatric infectious disease physician Geoff Weinberg. He said severe allergic reactions are extremely uncommon and no more frequent among people with egg allergies than among others.
Flu can occasionally lead to dehydration, ear or sinus infections, pneumonia, and serious brain or heart complications in otherwise healthy children. Patients with symptoms or questions about vaccination should consult a health care provider for individual guidance.
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