Patient advocate: The flu is lurking — can you avoid it?
I wouldn’t go so far as to categorize the pandemic as the “good old days,” but during the 2020-2021 flu season, only 1,316 positive flu cases were reported in the U.S. Why? Because most of us were wearing masks and staying away from one another.
Now, there are far more cases of flu than COVID-19. Just from October to December 2025, there were nearly 5 million diagnosed cases of the flu and 1,900 flu-related deaths, and that’s just in the U.S.
You may have heard that the 2025-2026 strain of flu doesn’t really care whether or not you had a flu shot. That’s not quite true, but it does seem that the so-called “subclade K” variant is pretty good at evading whatever immunity you have, whether from a vaccine or from previous infections.
“This flu is just different than the strain that we saw last year,” Dr. Santina Wheat of Northwestern Medicine told CBS News. “It's similar, but we are seeing that it is moving faster.”
Recent holiday gatherings probably made it spread even faster. Illinois hasn’t had the spikes that have been seen in New York, but doctors think the worst is yet to come.
Can you totally protect yourself and your family? Probably not. Can you reduce the risk of severe illness and hospitalization? Definitely.
These tips shouldn’t come as a surprise — most of them are just common sense.
1. Get vaccinated.
Yes, it’s already January. No, it’s not too late to get a flu shot. While the optimum time to get a flu shot is October, the flu doesn’t usually peak here until February. It takes a bit of time for the vaccine to reach its highest effectiveness, so getting a shot now will still provide protection.
Doctors emphasize that vaccination is not a surefire preventative. You may still get the flu, but you are more likely to avoid severe consequences if you have the vaccine on board.
2. Stay away.
What do I mean by that? If you’re sick, stay away from other people. Don’t go to work, don’t go to school, and get your groceries delivered. If people around you are coughing and feverish, avoid them like, well, the plague. If you know you’ve been exposed to the flu, get a flu test from your doctor so you can get started on an antiviral medication.
Masks fell into political disrepute during the pandemic, but there’s a reason medical professionals wear them. They are a kind of physical barrier that prevents both droplets being spread to others and droplets being breathed in. They’re more effective when it’s the infected person wearing them.
3. Become a champion hand-washer
The best hand washing practices include wetting your hands with clean, running water, applying soap, and scrubbing all surfaces of your hands and fingers for at least 20 seconds. Make sure to rinse well and dry your hands with a clean towel or air dryer to effectively remove germs.
Paper towel and disposable hand towels are a good idea this time of year.
4. Pay attention to touch surfaces.
When the flu is in your house, take special care to disinfect common touch surfaces, such as doorknobs and light switches, so it won’t spread. Disinfectant sprays and wipes can be used, and if you want to avoid chemicals, warm soapy water is all it takes.
5. Remind everyone not to touch their faces
Observational studies have revealed that we touch our faces 15 to 23 times every hour while we’re awake. The problem is that most of those touches are in the “T-zone,” encompassing our eyes, nose and mouth, where mucous membranes can let in viruses and germs.
It’s a hard habit to break, so it’s another reason to keep your hands as clean as possible.
6. Keep up good health habits.
Hydrate like crazy. Winter dries out those mucous membranes, which makes them less effective at filtering out allergens, irritants — and viruses. Staying physically active boosts the immune system, as does good nutrition.
Most of us will get through the flu with some aches and pains, maybe a little nausea or diarrhea, and generally feeling like we’ve been hit by a bus, but serious complications can include pneumonia, heart attack and stroke — particularly for people over 65 and those whose immune systems are compromised.
No one wants to get the flu. It’s good to know we can take steps to avoid the worst of it.
• Teri (Dreher) Frykenberg, R.N., a registered nurse and board-certified patient advocate, is the founder of www.NurseAdvocateEntrepreneur.com, which trains medical professionals to become successful private patient advocates. She is the author of “How to Be a Healthcare Advocate for Yourself & Your Loved Ones” and her new book, “Advocating Well: Strategies for Finding Strength and Understanding in Health Care,” available at Amazon.com. Contact her at Teri@NurseAdvocateEntrepreneur.com to set up a free phone consultation.