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EDITORIAL: Flu season still active

Tifton Gazette - 3/25/2019

March 24-- Mar. 24--While we've passed the halfway mark of the latest flu season, we're not out of the woods quite yet.

Flu season for the United States peaked earlier this year, but the latest weekly flu report from the Georgia Department of health reported "high activity" at clinics and hospitals related to the flu for March 10-16.

A total of 70 confirmed flu outbreaks have been reported for Georgia so far this flu season.

In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest weekly report for the nation, the organization states it "expects flu activity to remain elevated for a number of weeks, suggesting this season is likely to be relatively long."

Flu symptoms and their intensity can vary from person to person, and can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. People who think they have the flu are encouraged to call or visit their doctor.

The Georgia Department of Health recommends the following steps to help prevent getting and spreading the flu virus.

--Frequent and thorough hand-washing with soap and warm water. Alcohol based gels are the next best thing if you don't have access to soap and water.

--Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing to help prevent the spread of the flu. Use a tissue or cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or arm.

--Avoid touching your face as flu germs can get into the body through mucus membranes of the nose, mouth and eyes.

--If you are sick, stay home from school or work. Flu sufferers should be free of a fever, without the use of a fever reducer, for at least 24 hours before returning to school or work.

If you are caring for a sick individual at home, keep them away from common areas of the house and other people as much as possible.

If you have more than one bathroom, have the sick person use one and well people use the other.

Clean the sick room and the bathroom once a day with household disinfectant.

Thoroughly clean linens, eating utensils, and dishes used by the sick person before reusing.

To learn more about influenza log on to www.flu.gov.

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(c)2019 The Tifton Gazette (Tifton, Ga.)

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