Seven Flu Facts
Test your know-how with this true-false quiz
What you don't know about the flu can be enough to make you sick—literally! See whether you've got the know-how to fight influenza by taking this true-or-false quiz.
1. Since flu season runs from November to April, it's useless getting vaccinated after the season begins.
False. While it's best to get vaccinated in the fall, a shot in January can still help keep you healthy, especially during the flu's peak in February.
2. Once you get a flu shot, you've done all you can to prevent flu.
False. While it's best to get vaccinated in the fall, a shot in January can still help keep you healthy, especially during the flu's peak in February.
3. Flu is most often spread by intimate contact, like kissing.
False. Flu is generally spread when people cough or sneeze virus-infected droplets into the air.
4. Antibiotic medications aren't helpful in treating flu symptoms.
True. Influenza is a viral infection, so it can't be treated with antibacterial antibiotics.
5. The flu shot can actually cause you to get the flu.
False. However, you may have minor side effects like a runny nose, headache, sore throat or cough.
6. If you got a flu shot last year, you don't need to get one this year.
False. The flu vaccine is updated annually to include the most current strains of the flu.
7. Not everyone should get a flu shot.
True. The flu shot is not safe for people with a fever, who have egg allergies, who've had past severe reactions to flu shots or who have Guillain-Barré syndrome, a nervous- and immune-system disorder.
There are flu shots approved for use in those as young as 6 months old and up. To schedule yours, make an appointment at Georgia Regents Medical Center today by calling 706-721-CARE (5733).
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