The flu battle begins with you

TOPIC: Influenze outbreak
OUR VIEW: Not too late to start the fight

It can come on with a rush or a whimper.

And then soon enough, the flu bug has taken over your household. Flu season is upon us and its grip on our health not only can be nagging, but long lasting.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that flu season got a jump start this year and has covered much of the country at a widespread level. Only Tennessee, Hawaii and the District of Columbia are below the widespread stage, according to the latest CDC flu report.

Thousands of people die each year and influenza is particularly hard on people age 65 and older. Young children also have difficulty in fighting off the disease.

There are daily precautions everyone can take to assist in staying away from the flu, according to the CDC.

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs such as the flu.

It is not too late to receive a flu shot from your doctor, at a pharmacy or the Lincoln Trail Health Department

And if you know you are sick or on the verge of having the flu, be courteous enough to others that you don’t, for instance, go to a movie theater where you are enclosed and are coughing and sneezing, spreading your germs to others.

The flu is something that always should be taken seriously for your sake and for the sake of everyone around you.

This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise editorial board.