Flu Season Charleston SC - How to Prepare and When to Call | Hope Integrative Medicine
October 30, 2026 · 1:09
Get ready for flu season: when to get your flu shot, everyday habits that prevent illness, how to tell a cold from flu and the warning signs that need care.
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Transcript
Cold and flu season checklist: how to prepare and when to call. Here are three things to know. The CDC recommends a flu vaccine every season for everyone 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, and says that ideally everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October. When you get your flu shot, ask whether other vaccines are due for your age and health. Colds usually come on gradually, with a runny nose and sore throat. Flu tends to hit fast, with fever or chills, cough, body aches, headache and exhaustion, though not everyone with flu has a fever. Because flu and COVID-19 look alike, a test can tell them apart. Antiviral treatment for flu works best when started soon after symptoms begin. If you are 65 or older, pregnant, or live with diabetes, heart disease, lung disease or a weakened immune system, call as soon as symptoms start. Get care right away for trouble breathing, ongoing chest pain or pressure, or lasting confusion. Read the full article at hopeintegrativemed.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Colds usually come on gradually with a runny nose and sore throat. Flu tends to hit fast, with fever or chills, cough, body aches, headache and exhaustion, though not everyone with flu has a fever.
Yes. Because flu and COVID-19 look alike, a test can tell them apart, which helps you and your provider decide on treatment.
People 65 or older, people who are pregnant, and anyone with diabetes, heart disease, lung disease or a weakened immune system, because antiviral treatment works best when started soon after symptoms begin.
