TARRANT COUNTY, TX
Public Health
November 10, 2023
Flu who? You don't want to make its acquaintance.
Flu season is now in full swing, and there's lots you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from it.
Regularly washing your hands goes a long way to protecting yourself from the flu and many other diseases. Other healthy habits include:
- getting the right amount of sleep,
- eating properly,
- getting enough exercise.
Those last two are a real challenge when the holidays roll around. But if you're willing to up your activity level so you can burn off a few more calories, you can offset some of that extra caloric intake.
If you plan to travel during this time, the handwashing, sleep, diet and exercise tips are extremely helpful in protecting yourself from sickness. Having a mask handy to wear when you're unexpectedly in a crowd of strangers offers some protection too.
Those tips will help reinforce your immune system. Of course, there are other things you can do that help ward off the flu:
- cover your coughs and sneezes,
- avoid people who are sick,
- stay home when you are sick,
- and get a flu shot.
Flu vaccine has proven effective in dealing with most of the current flu strains and offers some protection for any new strains circulating this year. The flu vaccine is plentiful, and our Public Health clinics can provide low-cost flu shots for you and your family. Since it takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to reach its full effectiveness once you get your shot, so the sooner you get it, the sooner your protection develops.
We are also watching RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). It seems to be surging right now too. At this time, infants can get the monoclonal antibody at any one of our Public Health clinics through our Texas Vaccines for Children Program. For adults over 60 years of age and for pregnant mothers, RSV vaccines are available through healthcare providers and local pharmacies. Learn more about RSV here. If you wish to follow our progress, our Tarrant County Respiratory Illness Dashboard can help you track data regarding respiratory viruses circulating this time of year.
As the holidays come upon us, I'd like to conclude with the answer to a question that is often asked of us at this time of year: for a turkey to be safe to eat, it must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Watch for more food safety and other health messages on the Tarrant County Public Health Facebook and Instagram pages.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season,
Vinny Taneja,
Director, Tarrant County Public Health