Your throat feels raw and itchy, and you feel the sudden urge to cough. You feel a familiar tickling in your nose, causing a disturbance to your daily activities. Your body temperature changes each moment, causing you to feel hot one minute, and cold the next. You feel sharp muscular pangs throughout your body, and a headache slowly creeps up on you.
It is that time of year again. The time of year students stay home from school for several days waiting for their sickness to pass while lying in bed with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and a box of Kleenex by their side watching old reruns of their mom’s favorite talk show. That time of year you are afraid to come into contact with anyone who sniffles even a little bit, or utters the faintest cough. That time of year cough syrup is in high demand, and vitamin C is essential. The time of year none other than flu season.
According to recent statistics, about 60 million people across the United States come down with the flu. The flu, short for influenza, is a virus that attacks the respiratory system. When the human body is infected with a virus, it builds up a defense system by producing antibodies against that particular virus. Therefore, the human body is not infected by the same flu virus, rather a different one each year due to the virus’ mutation.  Influenza spreads through the air when a person carrying the virus sneezes, coughs, or even speaks.
 Another way the virus can enter one’s system is if they come into contact with objects contaminated with the virus, then touch their mouth or nose. Flu epidemics often begin in schools and spread rapidly for this reason. 
To avoid getting sick during flu outbreaks, one should wash their hands often and thoroughly. One should also avoid sharing drinks, eating utensils, and other items of that sort during this time of year.
“Wash your hands frequently and get lots of sleep,” health teacher Tim Corliss suggests.
Lastly, you can prevent spreading the virus by getting a yearly flu vaccine.  A flu vaccine is often given a few weeks prior to the start of flu season, giving the human body time to develop antibodies. However, the vaccine is also available throughout the course of flu season.
Flu vaccines come in two forms: as a shot and as a nasal mist. Both the shot and nasal mist help the body create antibodies to eliminate infection, but in different ways. The shot contains dead flu viruses that will not cause one to get the flu. On the other hand, the nasal mist contains weakened live viruses which can cause one to encounter some flu symptoms. The mist is not recommended to those with health issues and those over age fifty.