Flu: Prevention and remedies

This year, you have to be concerned about two kinds of flu: the usual seasonal flu and the new swine flu (H1N1 flu), which emerged in April. Scientists annually develop a slightly new version of the standard flu vaccine, modified to combat that year’s flu strain. Try to be vaccinated before December, when the flu virus usually arrives. This year, manufacturers accelerated the development of the seasonal vaccine to produce a swine-flu vaccine. We believe everyone should get an annual shot against seasonal flu, especially people in high-risk groups. They include women who are pregnant; children ages 6 months to 4 years; anyone 50 or older; those with chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease; and those who live or work with infants, preschoolers, or older adults. Even if the vaccine doesn’t prevent flu, it does lessen its symptoms.

As we went to press, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not yet fully tested the swine-flu vaccine or recommended who should get it. For updates, go to www.cdc.gov.

If you develop the flu, you can try many of the same strategies used to ease cold symptoms. Most people get better within 10 to 14 days. Antiviral drugs not only ease symptoms but also shorten the duration of seasonal flu and probably swine flu, too. But overuse of the drugs might breed antiviral-resistant strains. Indeed, two once commonly used antiviral drugs, amantadine (Symmetrel and generic) and rimantadine (Flumadine and generic), are now largely ineffective against seasonal flu. There have also been several reports of swine-flu resistance to the most popular drug of this class, oseltamivir (Tamiflu). So these flu remedies make the most sense for people who are at the highest risk for flu complications, such as dehydration, severe diarrhea, or pneumonia. They include children under age 5 or people over 65; anyone with a chronic condition, such as diabetes, lung disease, or heart disease; pregnant women; or anyone with a compromised immune system. Drugs are most effective if you begin treatment within 48 hours after symptoms develop.

Last year, the CDC recommended zanamivir (Relenza), an inhaled drug, for treating seasonal flu in people age 7 and older or a combination of oseltamivir and rimantadine. For swine flu, the agency recommends either oseltamivir or zanamivir. But since those recommendations might change, consult the CDC Web site.