The Cold and Flu season is just around the corner and local health experts say a flu shot can go a long way in keeping you from getting sick.

 

Deschutes County Health Department Spokesperson Heather Kaisner says you can get a flu shot as early as September and it will last the entire season.  It also changes each year depending on the strains of flu that are surfacing.

 

Kaisner was a guest on 1110 KBND news Thursday morning.

 

 

 "we take a look at what's going on in the southern hemisphere- australia area- what's circulating there in their winters- sometimes they are similar sometimes different- that is why we need to get one each year- someday in public health we'd like to have that one shot we need for the rest of our lives, but we're not there yet." 

 

She says the Flu season usually peaks in Bend in January and February and it takes a few weeks for the flu shot to be effective, so she says you need to get one very soon.

 

She also says many people overuse the word "flu", when they often just have a cold.  And she says "stomach flu" is a myth.  She says you can get a stomach bug, but there is no such thing as a "stomach flu."

 

To avoid getting sick from people in the workplace or other areas she says you should disinfect your phones, and computers and other shared spaces.  When kids come home from school make sure they wash their hands with hot, soapy water.  And when they sneeze of cough, teach them to cough into their sleeves if there isn't a tissue handy.