Somewhere out there, there's a flu bug with your name on it.

        Or your kids' names, your co-workers', your spouse's. It's just waiting to strike.

        “The flu season has not yet hit,” says Dr. Stephen Blatt, medical director for infectious diseases with TriHealth. “We don't usually get it till mid-January.”

        Dr. Blatt and other experts say a flu shot is your best bet for preventing infection. Delays in manufacturing and shipping the vaccine have made it difficult for many people to get their flu shots this year, but the vaccine is becoming more readily available.

FLU FACTS

• Influenza is an infection of the respiratory tract that can affect millions of people worldwide every year.     • It is highly contagious and spread person-to-person through mists or sprays of respiratory secretions caused by coughing or sneezing.     • Influenza can be fatal, mainly because it can result in bacterial pneumonia.     • About 20,000 Americans die every year because of influenza or influenza-related pneumonia. Nine out of 10 of those fatalities are people 65 and over. Influenza symptoms:     Fever (up to 104)     Chills and/or shaking     Muscle aches and pains     Sweating     Dry cough     Nasal congestion     Sore throat     Headache     Malaise     Fatigue

        The vaccine usually becomes effective 10 to 14 days after it's administered, Dr. Blatt says.

        The other basic precaution against flu is to stay away from people who have it. People carry viruses. Places with lots of people have lots of viruses. Stay out of them.

        If walling yourself up in the house until early spring isn't a viable preventive measure, here are some other options.
       

Medications

Flu virus

        Three drugs traditionally used to treat influenza — Rimantadine, Amantadine and Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) — can be used to prevent the disease in people who have been exposed to the virus. Rimantadine and Amantadine are only effective against Influenza A.

        But Dr. Blatt advises that only people at the highest risk for developing the flu — health care workers or people in close contact with flu patients — use the medications, because they can have side effects.

        A fourth drug, Relenza, or zanamivir, is also used to treat the flu.

        The medications are available by prescription.
       

Good hygiene

        It's amazing what a little soap and water can do, says Dr. Caroline Mueller, an associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati.

Tamiflu

        “Probably the most important thing that people can do is frequent hand-washing, especially if they are out in public, but also at the office. And the kids can also be instructed to wash their hands at school,” Dr. Mueller says.

        The influenza virus is airborne, carried in droplets of mucus that are spread when a person sneezes or coughs. If people cover their mouths when they cough, then shake hands with someone, they've just spread the virus.

        “Most people touch the virus with their hands and rub their faces and infect themselves that way,” Dr. Mueller says.

        Good hand-washing, especially with plenty of hot water, will kill the flu virus, and many other viruses and bacteria, she says.

        Other hygienic measures — promptly disposing of used tissues and not sharing glasses, utensils and other items — also prevents the spread of influenza and other bugs, Dr. Mueller says.
       

Herbals

        There are plenty of all-natural goodies that can boost your immune system and help you fight off influenza and other viruses, says Covington herbalist Pam Lyle.

        Garlic and onions are natural antibacterial and antiviral agents, Ms. Lyle says, and adding more of them to your daily diet can help decrease your odds of getting sick.

        Echinacea can help boost your immune system and shorten the duration of flu, colds and other viruses. Follow label directions “unless you're already sick. Then you want to double the dosage,” Ms. Lyle says. She recommends echinacea in liquid or softgel form because it's more easily absorbed.

        Elderberry extract or sambucol is “a very good antiviral. Both that and echinacea are safe for your kids as well,” she says.

        Adding rosemary or sage oils to your humidifier can also help. Both are antibacterial and antiviral agents.

        Check with your doctor, pharmacist or herbalist before taking any herbal preparation. Some may have dangerous interactions with prescription or over-the-counter medications.

        Zack Jackson, 24, takes a supplement combining echinacea, ginseng, garlic, zinc and vitamin C whenever he feels a virus coming on.

        They're not pleasant — Mr. Jackson, executive producer and co-host of WKRQ-FM's (101.9) Q Mornin' Thang, calls them “massive, really stinky horse pills.”

        But, he says, they work, as long as he takes them early enough. “They seem to help me at least recover faster or fight off the sickness,” he says.

        Mr. Jackson says he's never gotten a flu shot. “Knock on wood, I hardly ever get sick,” he says.

Still time to get shot against flu
       

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