Conley Publishing - Special Sections
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HEALTH & WELLNESS DIRECTORY / FALL 2019 7 By Dave Fidlin Special to Conley Media Each year, as the tempera- tures dip, it becomes more of a question of "when," rather than "if." Cold and flu season is a timeliness tradition most people would rather forget, but local experts say it is best to be proactive and get a vaccine early to help fend off the likelihood of contracting the influenza virus during its heightened state. The exact timing and inten- sity of the virus varies from one year to the next, but most experts say it is a good rule of thumb to consider getting vaccinated in September. Jaclyn Pillay, a family med- icine and primary care physi- cian at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wiscon- sin's Westbrook Health Center, said season-specific vaccines are released and shipped to pharmacies in September. Getting a shot at the begin- ning of the season, she said, increases the likelihood of warding off the cold and flu virus — or at least contracting a diminished variation of it. "The earlier, the better," Pillay said. "We recommend that people get them as soon as possible." When it comes to getting a flu shot, timing is everything, said Kristina Bolling, nurse practitioner with the New Berlin office of Ascension Medical Group. "It takes about two weeks to get the full immunity," Bolling said. For this reason, she said, getting the vaccine before the onset of the holi- days is a good rule of thumb. More people in close quarters, she said, means a greater like- lihood of interacting with the virus. Predicting the outcome of how mild or intense a particu- lar cold and flu season is going to be can pose a chal- lenge. But Bolling said there are some sources local experts rely on to help gauge what might be coming down the pike. The World Health Organization, she said, is one such resource. "The global num- bers we've been seeing have been low so far," Bolling said. "But it's very hard to tell how a season is going to turn out." Peak cold and flu season can be a moving target. While it typically strikes hardest in November and December, its heaviest wallop sometimes carries over into January or February, as was the case this past year. While a flu shot is one of the most touted preventive measures against contracting the virus in any given season, experts say there are other steps that can be taken to help safeguard against contracting the virus. Jeffrey Gentile, a primary care doctor at Aurora Medical Center in Mukwonago, said the tried- and-true recommendation of staying home from work, school or any other commit- ment in the public while feel- ing sick is a great way of preventing the spread of the cold and flu virus. "I think people tend to for- get this all the time," Gentile said, adding staying active, eating healthy and getting adequate sleep also play an important role, in general, in boosting a person's immunity. Get flu shots early in the season, experts say Vaccine can take two weeks to take full effect