Concorde Staff
There are some records that we love to see broken: Most hot dogs eaten in a minute, the fastest time in an Olympic event, most children simultaneously brushing their teeth. But one record that we could do without seeing be shattered is cases of the flu.
Reader's Digest just this week called the 2018 flu season one of the worst since the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.
Data from the Center for Disease Control reveals that "As of February 2018, 23,324 people have been hospitalized with confirmed flu-related illnesses, and 114 children, including 45 under age 5, have died."
"We have six more weeks of flu season left before we get back to baseline," says Kristen Nordlund, a CDC spokesperson.
From widespread outbreaks to a variation in the strands seen around the country, there are many factors that could explain the higher than usual cases.
It's been a busy season for the medical assistant and medical laboratory technicians that have graduated a health care training program at Concorde. They are on the front lines of caring for patients and running tests to confirm symptoms and provide support to devise care plans.
Is it the cold or the flu?
If you: Feel achy, feverish, have chills/sweats, are tired and weak or have an upset stomach, you may have the flu.
Experts recommend limiting contact with the general population, and especially at higher risk segments like infants and the elderly when you're exhibiting these symptoms.
There are several preventative measures that can help boost your immune system and help give you a fighting chance.
Check out five quick tips that health care professionals are encouraging folks to heed this year.
They may seem easy to implement, but which could you do a bit more? Make it a family challenge or grab a buddy from your cohort and keep each other accountable. Because let's face it, we're busy, goal-oriented people, we don't have time to be bogged down by sickness.
We've got places to go and people to see!
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