Avoid the worst of the flu this winter by embracing vaccination and good hygiene habits

Author: Frédéric Barbut is a French microbiologist and Professor of Microbiology at Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris.

Good Hygiene
We are deep into the flu epidemic in France right now. At the hospital where I work in Paris some 20-30 people show up each day with flu symptoms. Our emergency department is overloaded and we have many flu patients in intensive care. The thing about flu is that it follows a different pattern every year. Last year was relatively quiet. But this year, the epidemic started earlier compared to 2023-2024, and the peak is very high.

As a Professor of Microbiology, my advice for avoiding seasonal flu and staying healthy is simple: get vaccinated. People who are vaccinated against the flu stand a much better chance of avoiding catching it. And if they do catch it, their symptoms will be much milder.

Vaccination is advised for anyone over 65 years of age and for those with suppressed immune systems. Public health campaigns on TV use catchy slogans such as ‘Flu is going to hurt like hell again this year’, and ‘Don’t let flu spoil your winter’ to encourage people to get vaccinated. Sadly, there is significant anti-vax sentiment in France which means that take-up is far too low.

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