Beat the Winter Bugs: How to Hold Your Own Against Colds and Flu

The winter months present plenty of opportunities for viruses to spread. Chilly weather keeps more of us indoors at the same time, and the holiday season brings together family members of all ages. Colds and flu (influenza) can occur anytime, but appear mostly in the fall and winter.

For most people, viral respiratory illnesses are usually self-limited and last only a few days. But along with making millions of us feel lousy every year, colds and flu can cause serious problems and can even be deadly. Each year flu complications cause an average of 114,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Death rates are highest for people ages 65 and up and for those with medical conditions that put them at increased risk for flu complications. (Also see "Keeping Up with Flu Shots".)

Here are tips to ward off colds and flu and to ease the misery if they strike:

Get the flu vaccine.

A vaccine against colds hasn't been developed because colds can be caused by many types of viruses. But the flu vaccine remains the best way to prevent and control the flu.

Influenza viruses are classified as types A, B, or C. Type A and B viruses are the most serious because they are the ones most often responsible for cases of the flu and all of its complications. Type C viruses are mostly associated with cold symptoms.

Flu season in the United States runs from November to April. October to November is the usual vaccination time for most people. "But you can also get good results when the vaccine is used in December and January, even if influenza is already starting to spread through a community," says Roland A. Levandowski, M.D., a medical officer and virologist in the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. We need a new flu shot every year because the predominant flu viruses change every year.

The protective effect of the vaccine starts working rapidly in people who have been previously infected with flu viruses or have received a flu shot in the past. Infection-fighting antibodies in the blood reach a peak about three weeks after these people get the shot. But for some, such as children younger than 9 who haven't been previously vaccinated, two doses of the influenza vaccine about a month apart are recommended for the first vaccination. In older people and in those with chronic illnesses, the shot may not necessarily prevent the flu, but can reduce the symptoms and risk of complications if they do get sick.

The flu vaccine is made of killed virus and can't cause the flu. The most common side effect is soreness at the injection site. The flu shot is not recommended for certain people, including those allergic to eggs. The viruses for flu vaccines are grown in eggs.