Unfortunately, with fall, comes flu season. Believe it or not, it's one of the top ten causes of death every year in this country.
I sat down with Lynnie Shore, the immunization program coordinator at the Washoe County Health District.
She said more people have died from the flu in the United States than all the wars put together.
So, the best thing you can do is get vaccinated.
"The more people who get vaccinated, it produces herd immunity, which can prevent the spread of influenza," said Shore."The time to get vaccinated is now."
Shore said the flu usually involves a sudden onset of stomach and body aches, dry cough, sore throat and a fever. She said 50% of people infected with the flu can have one or all of those symptoms.
However, the other 50% may have mild symptoms or none at all and even those folks aren't in the clear.
"We call these the Typhoid Mary's and Harry's because these are folks that don't realize they're infected and so ill. They are just as infectious as someone who can't get out of bed. These are folks who continue to go to work and school and they can spread this disease to the other people."
To see the entire interview, tune in to Face the State on Channel 2 this Saturday at 4:30am or 4:30pm. It also airs Sunday at 6:30am.
Written by Chris Ciarlo
