Editorial: Protect yourself from the flu - get a shot

Maybe you were so busy during the last three months, you didn't get flu shots for yourself and your family. Work was crazy, the weeks leading up to the holidays were a nonstop rush and the Bears playoff push was a major distraction.

Now, it's January, so it's too late, right? Wrong.

We add our voice to echo health authorities who are urging flu shots for adults and children - especially for children older than 6 months, who are vulnerable.

The flu can have serious consequences. The Kane County Health Department reported a 3-year-old girl died Dec. 21 at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora due to complications from the flu. She was one of 13 pediatric deaths nationwide this flu season, and the second to die in December, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

We share those details to stress the importance of taking precautions rather than rolling the dice that you or a loved one won't get sick and will ride it out if the flu bug bites. Adults will achieve immunity about two weeks after receiving a vaccine.

Influenza can pack a punch with symptoms like sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches, congestion, and cough that tend to come on suddenly and leave you feeling rundown for a week or longer.

Vaccines are not 100 percent effective at preventing flu, and they can't protect against every strain. However, those vaccinated often have fewer symptoms and complications, according to the CDC. Health experts say that's especially true this season, which appears to be milder than last year when an estimated 80,000 Americans died from the flu and its complications.

While a bout with the flu might be bad enough to knock down an otherwise healthy adult for a few days, the CDC reports children are vulnerable to serious complications, including viral or bacterial pneumonia, brain disease, seizures, blood infections and ear infections.

Children 6 months and younger typically still have antibodies passed on by their mothers. But after that, it can take children up to five years to develop a strong immune system that can handle the flu, experts said.

Flu shots are even more important for children who were born prematurely or who have lung disease or asthma, experts said. The CDC also recommends the vaccine for children who have neurological disorders or who are obese. Pregnant women should be immunized, adults 65 and older and anyone caring for babies.

If your child does get the flu, there are warning signs of serious trouble, besides fever and unproductive cough, to heed. The child may not act normal and might stop eating, breathe faster, have abnormal coloring, be lethargic or have a dry diaper due to dehydration.

Protect yourself and your loved ones. Get a flu shot.