Experts urge public to get flu shot

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New concerns over what experts warn could be the earliest and strongest flu season in a decade.

Widespread outbreaks reported in nearly every state from coast to coast leaving eighteen children dead.

And more than 2000 people hospitalized last week alone.

The Centers for Disease Control warns this is gonna -- even worse so should you get a flu shot and are there any concerns about the vaccine.

Doctor Mark Siegel is part of our Fox -- medical eighteen he joins us now with his take he's got his gloves on.

Because he's gonna shoot me up in a minute and I have not gotten a flu shot of them preparing for this segment I realize -- boy and he won.

That -- eighteen children dead how does a child die from the -- so well.

The bad news is that this is very similar to the strain that we saw in 2003.

-- over 40000 people actually died with flu related illness in the US had as a child by you once season.

In one year.

Tens of thousands of people died from the flu right most of them being elderly most of the relatively and the way they guys they get another infection they given pneumonia they get a bronchitis they get some other infection.

The flow not shoot down the -- -- down your immune system.

You get fatigued you get muscle -- you get fever everyone knows what it feels like he used to be called the grip for a reason.

One day or find the next day you're really really tired and you have a coffee of resources.

Tell the difference between you know I'm just sick and I have.

This thing officially called the flu.

Well you know you may not be able to tell I don't think the public can always tell at a time like this when we're reporting on everyone thinks they have the flu even when they have a snapple.

But I like to say that the flu you know when you have it could you can't go to work you -- you two billion feel really tell you get a high fever.

And you get muscle aches and you get really fatigued if you got a -- full when you've got a cough when you have a sore throat and you otherwise feel fine is not likely to be the flu.

Now what -- why can't we just roll the dice.

See if we get the flu and then take Tamiflu.

Well you could do that -- actually all for that but I'm -- for rolling the dice because the big difference between 2003.

And now.

Is that the Centers for Disease Control got it right this year.

They look down in -- in South America and they said what strain is coming what -- is coming from Asia.

And they found the predominant strain we didn't do that right in 2003.

This flu vaccine is a very very good match it's a dead virus you cannot get the flu from it.

We expect the peak of flu season to be about another three or four weeks from now and guess what it takes about three weeks for the flu shot to what is.

Right so I did today you're not protected for the coming three weeks but there after -- -- -- and I wanted to provide something called herd immunity where everyone in the household gets the flu shot.

Then the most vulnerable people in the house are protected if you have a young child.

Everyone should get the flu shot if you have -- with a chronic illness -- -- -- with asthma.

You want to protect them give them the flu -- and everyone around them because in the flu is less likely to get into the house had.

That the children who died and is that because of the same reasons for the elderly because their.

They're not as strong as an adult for this young adults.

Actually and they might have had another chronic illness so they might have developed pneumonia or maybe they didn't get Tamil -- I'm all for giving people that are most at risk Tamiflu doesn't handle it well always work it doesn't always work but it works a large part of the time then it decreases severity.

So to get the flu.

And you you really worried that you end up hospitalized and we saw over 2000 people hospitalized last week alone.

And 151000 cases have been reported this -- but Megan it's probably three or four times that cause most.

Physicians like me make the diagnosis clinically you know will prove it's the -- we know it's the flu we traded and so then it's not recorded as an official case.

Over recent days so.

Does the -- -- really hurt my memory is it really hurts.

-- does it but -- find out together in three minutes ago it.

I doctor Marc Siegel back that is now before the needle.

How do you get the flu.

Well the flow actually lives on surfaces and it's a respiratory virus so you can get it sneezed or coughed on you but if you take.

-- if your parents you touch your face you can put on the service someone else touches it within 24 hours.

You can get it that way that's -- -- for hand washing pummel for washing your face using those hand -- and wiping surfaces especially this time here are how long you contagious once you get what people don't know that -- -- -- get the flu within a day or two if you're exposed but you know what making you can't just say OK now I'm better.

You can shed the virus for up to a week after you already feeling better so that means you go back to work you can spread it -- -- got to continue all of these precautions.

Even if you're starting to feel better that's really important I -- is wildly contagious.

Hemmer is watching the CIA says he never met today -- because of -- -- to say look did you start.

Thanks a lot aren't actually -- you're gonna -- how do you think he ever costs on how do you prevent yourself.

From getting the -- apart from.

-- -- Well the most important thing -- to be in good health people that are run down types tend to get it and try to stay in good health exercising -- right all the things are always telling you to do.

Then stay away from people that are really sick -- there may be carrying it someone in your house.

Has it isolate them keep away from.

Wash your hands lots -- lots of guy who hits and any package of genetic pilots got back I can't put -- there there's Johnny stopped stopped on the for model -- an error.

This Ivan you gave it is -- -- to hurt.

Getting better though I'm practicing more and more.

All right I'm not practicing on you and we golf.

-- sort of put up all done.

Back now and that had actually been it's nothing new to -- weren't.

Up up up and take an aren't seen Thailand.

Thanks the check -- in the mail us where.

Coming up you needed well I recommend -- serve is wholeheartedly it's not the right seal everybody.

This is elegant -- Arctic -- these -- -- not -- -- they can -- the anyway he says that it is not at that there's not a shortage of the vaccines he too can go to your doctor today when you've got to do -- I did let's go through it together or not.

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Experts urge public to get flu shot

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