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Tallahassee, FL – The flu has hit Tallahassee with full force. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare reports that it has seen a dramatic increase in visits of patients with flu-like symptoms to the Urgent Care Center and the Bixler Emergency Center during the last week.

To help people understand how to treat the flu and when to seek medical attention, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare shares the following information from the Center for Disease Control.

According to the Center for Disease Control, if you get sick with flu-like symptoms, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with the flu have mild illness and do not need medical care or antiviral drugs.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications (for example young children, people 65 and older, people with asthma, diabetes or women who are pregnant) and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms. also, it’s possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu so anyone concerned about their illness should consult a health care provider.

There are emergency warning signs. Anyone who has them should get medical care right away.

In children, emergency warning signs include the following:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing Bluish skin color Not drinking enough fluids Not waking up or not interacting Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough Fever with a rash

In addition to the signs above, get medical help right away for any infant who has any of these signs:

Being unable to eat Has trouble breathing Has no tears when crying Significantly fewer wet diapers than normal

In adults, emergency warning signs include the following:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen Sudden dizziness Confusion Severe or persistent vomiting Flu–like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough

If you become sick with the flu, the CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have to do and no one else can do for you. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol®.) you should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.

While you are sick, stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. and wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others.

Latest Comments

Posted by: yep Location: tally on Jan 27, 2011 at 09:01 AM Flu season hits Tallahasse? it never left from last year! Posted by: catlover on Jan 26, 2011 at 09:22 PM What were the “Flu like symptoms”??