Defend yourself against the flu

Other protection
If you decide not to get a vaccination, there are a few simple things you can do to protect yourself. These preventive measure are also among the best ways to keep from catching a cold.

The virus spreads mainly through airborne liquid droplets produced by coughing and sneezing and gets into your body through any opening or mucous membrane, mainly your mouth, nose, and eyes. If you're healthy, keep your distance from people who are coughing or sneezing. If you have the flu, make sure to cover your mouth to prevent spreading it.

Experts encourage you to wash your hands. Even if you manage to stay away from airborne droplets, you might touch surfaces where those droplets have landed — from countertops to doorknobs — and you could infect yourself by touching your mouth or rubbing your eyes.

A recent study found that 10 seconds of scrubbing with soap and water is effective at washing away most viruses. Another study found that only 83 percent of people leaving public restrooms had washed their hands.

If you get it
There are currently four approved antiviral treatments for influenza A viruses in the United States, of which the best-known is Tamiflu. Also known as oseltamivir, Tamiflu inhibits neuraminidase, one of the key surface proteins on the virus.

Each of these drugs needs to be taken within the first two days of the disease and will generally shorten the length of illness by one or two days.

Map Weekly influenza estimates Who’s got the flu state-by-state msnbc.com

Hoffman LaRoche, the company that produces Tamiflu, recently announced that it has produced enough of the drug to treat 55 million people this year, and the company expects to have produced enough by 2007 to treat 300 million.

However, Tamiflu may not be useful against the emerging avian H5N1 flu, should the strain transform into a human virus.

A study published in the Oct. 20 online issue of the journal Nature reported that a strain of H5N1 virus in a Vietnamese girl is resistant to Tamiflu.

There is also concern that Tamiflu can cause death or psychological problems in teenagers, following reports of Japanese teens dying or committing suicide after taking the drug. Roche argues that these effects are not the result of Tamiflu, and that high fevers and other flu symptoms could also cause psychiatric symptoms and death. The company's statement is supported by recent reports published by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency and the FDA's Pediatric Advisory Committee.

INTERACTIVE Test your IQ Is it a cold, the flu or something else?

The CDC recommends that any person experiencing potentially life-threatening influenza-related illnesses, or anyone at high risk for developing complications and in the first two days of illness, be treated with antiviral medications. The agency also recommends that antiviral drugs be administered to healthy people working in an outbreak area such as a hospital to prevent the disease.

If you have the flu, health experts advise you to get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, avoid alcohol and tobacco products, and take fever reducers and other medication to relieve your symptoms.

Do not, however, give aspirin to a child or teenager with flu symptoms without consulting a doctor. Doing so could lead to the development of Reye Syndrome — a rare but potentially fatal disease that causes severe damage to the brain, liver and other important organs.

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