When to Test and Treat: Influenza
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/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2022

When to Test and Treat: Influenza

We are experiencing higher influenza levels in our community, and it is important that influenza is identified and treated early in high-risk patients.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the following patients to be at greater risk for flu-related complications:

  • Patients under the age of 2
  • Pregnant patients
  • Those over the age of 65
  • Patients with asthma or COPD
  • Those with weakened immune systems
  • Patients with diabetes or liver, kidney, or heart conditions

Patients with any of these conditions should seek treatment and may be treated with an antiviral medication, called oseltamivir, if their symptoms started within the last 48 hours. The antiviral medication will prevent complications.

For those not at high risk, most influenza infections cause a mild illness with fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, cough, congestion, and sore throat.

  • Testing is not required, as a healthcare provider can reasonably make a diagnosis of influenza, particularly if community levels of influenza are high and you have the symptoms described above.
  • Currently, there are shortages in both the antiviral medication oseltamivir and influenza testing supplies. People who are at low risk of complications from the flu will be tested only in rare circumstances and at the discretion of your healthcare provider.
  • Infections of COVID-19 and influenza are very similar and can happen at the same time. Patients with respiratory symptoms should use an at-home rapid antigen test for COVID-19.
  • If you test positive COVID-19, follow the instructions for isolation as listed on the Vermont Department of Health website.
  • Those over 12 at higher risk for a severe case of COVID-19 can be treated with a different antiviral medication, Paxlovid.
  • If you suspect you have influenza, stay at home and away from others, rest, increase fluids, and try over-the-counter fever-reducing medications, such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Most people with this illness will have mild symptoms and will not need medical care or antiviral medications. 
  • You can reduce your risk of influenza and the risk of those close to you by receiving the seasonal influenza vaccine and consistently washing hands properly.

Crystal Labbe-Hasty, PA, is a physician assistant at SVMC’s Respiratory Evaluation Center/ExpressCare in Bennington. The practice is part of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and Southwestern Vermont Health Care. 

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How to Become a Mask Wearer

Long before COVID-19, online chat groups for people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) were filled with posts about how uncomfortable it is to wear a mask in public: not physically uncomfortable, a fact that was barely mentioned, but psychologically uncomfortable. For people with this condition or the lung transplant used to cure it, catching a cold or the flu could be deadly. They need to wear masks in public to help protect themselves from getting ill.

The participants discussed how awkward it is riding the bus in a mask, going to the grocery store in a mask, or boarding a plane while wearing one. They were mostly self-conscious that others would think they were ill or weak. Many would rather suffer the risk of getting fatally sick than put a mask on in a department store.

Now, we've all been directed to wear masks in public. Both Bennington and Wilmington's Select Boards have passed local mandates requiring masks in public places. This—along with distancing and handwashing—are crucial parts of returning to a more normal way of life. Suddenly, we are all feeling the psychological discomfort PF patients have felt for many years.

People usually have an interest in blending in. And, just like doing anything out of the ordinary, wearing a mask for the first time definitely feels like putting yourself out there. If we want to return to a somewhat normal way of life, masks are crucially important, along with frequent, thorough handwashing and keeping a distance from others.

Here are a few tips for making the leap from being someone nervous about wearing a mask to being a person who wears one regularly.

Do it for others. We know that people can spread COVID-19 as many as a few days before they get sick. Even if you feel fine, you could have COVID-19 right now without knowing it. At the same time, masks are far better at keeping sick people from spreading germs than they are at keeping people from getting sick. So wearing a mask isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of altruism. It's like saying, "I am not certain that I am not sick, so I want to pay those around me the consideration of limiting the likelihood I will infect them." Think of it as a badge of kindness.

Get a mask that fits. We know that masks are not completely comfortable physically. Getting the right fit makes a big difference in their "wearability." Cloth masks are readily available online and from local groups. The Green Mountain Mask Makers have excellent information and resources. If you can, purchase a few types in a few sizes to see which you like best. Buy enough of that type to allow washing between trips out in public.

Get a mask that you like. Once you have found a mask source and as long as you have a choice, pick one that you like. You can choose colors that match your wardrobe or that represent your interests, like camouflage. There are even masks that look like fashionable scarves when they hang around your neck. The sooner we start thinking of masks as part of our outfits, as essential and unremarkable as shoes or a belt, the healthier we will all be.

Try to quit caring about what others think. This one is hard. But one wise PF patient wrote, "I just don't give a darn!" Essentially, he shared that if people want to judge him for wearing a mask, so be it. Their opinions don't have a single thing to do with him. Many in the chat group applauded his confidence and vowed to adopt his attitude.

If we all do our best, soon the cultural scale will tip. Wearing a mask or not wearing one will cease to be a political statement. It will be normal. And thankfully, if wearing a mask in public, handwashing and sanitizing, and keeping our distance are all normal, going out into public again can be safe and normal too.

Donna Barron, RN, is the infection preventionist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.

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