King County's No. 1 recommendation for flu season: Get vaccinated
There are many ways to avoid the flu, and when it's contracted, there are antiviral treatments people can take to treat influenza infection.
But King County Public Health Office Dr. Jeff Duchin said the number one recommendation his department gives to avoid the flu is simple.
Get a flu shot.
"We've got a lot of experience with influenza and with the damage it causes the community," Duchin said. "So we really push vaccination as the main prevention method. Especially to people with underlying medical conditions, people over 65, pregnant women and children under five."
Pregnant women are especially encouraged because immunized mothers can pass off protection to newborns — a crucial protection as children under six months can't receive the vaccine.
He said prompt antiviral treatment — drugs that are taken within 48 hours of contracting an infection — can help, but they don't avert the burden of illness like the vaccine.
"There are between nine and 40 million flu cases expected nationally every year, hundreds of thousands hospitalizations," Duchin said. He did a rough estimation based on national statistics for how a given King County flu season would be expected.
"You would expect a range between 840 and 6,000 hospitalized in one season, and approximately 500 deaths," without vaccinations.
"The burden of illness averted," is where Duchin said the vaccine's effectiveness shows. Between the 2017-2018 flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there were 7 million cases of the flu and 8,000 deaths averted, thanks to influenza vaccinations.
But there's a narrative that flu vaccines aren't always effective. The reason for this is that vaccine production can't always keep up with the evolution of viruses.
"It takes many months to make flu vaccines. Approximately six months before flu season, the World Health Organization determines which influenza strains will be included in the vaccine based on which ones are circulating," Duchin said. "In that six-month period, those viruses mutate and evolve, so the vaccines don't always optimally cover viruses. But it still provides protection, it's just less effective some years than others."
As for the most pernicious myths that plague public health come flu season, Duchin listed off a few big ones: that the flu isn't serious, that pregnant women don't need the vaccine and that people with egg allergies can't receive it.
"Even a small number of young, healthy people become sick and die each year. Even if they are willing to take the risk of getting sick, they are contributing to the spread of influenza," Duchin said. "When you get vaccinated, you not only protect yourself but the people around you."
As for the risk of allergic reactions due to vaccines grown in chicken eggs, there are safe ways to get immunized even for people with the most life-threatening egg allergies.
Duchin said the department also works closely with Healthcare for the Homeless Network to provide immunization to those without shelter. He said they no longer have the capacity to provide vaccination clinics throughout the season, but they work with community health centers to provide information and help people get immunized.
Those with children can enroll for free vaccinations through the state Department of Health if they qualify here.
The county suggests this source as a way to find a vaccine provider near you.