Latest news with #Dumford
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How to keep infections and germs from spreading at the gym
(WKBN) – If you joined a gym or plan to this summer, it's important to clean any equipment you use. Some people might not know that germs can spread this way. Doctors say you can get infections from touching skin or using shared equipment. To lower your risk, wipe down any equipment with disinfectant spray. Most gyms have spray and wipes available. It's also a good idea to shower when you get home. Dr. Donald Dumford, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, warns that we should be careful of other germs, too. 'We do have to think about the fact that the gym is a shared airspace, so you do put yourself at risk for the possibility of viruses such as flu, cold viruses, COVID, RSV. So really, if you are feeling ill, if you're having a fever, if you're having a cough, consider staying home from the gym until your symptoms are improved,' he said. Dumford says if you see anything unusual on your skin, like redness, itching or swelling, it's best to see a doctor. There are different treatments you can try. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Can you get the flu twice in a season?
(NEXSTAR) – Flu cases are surging across the country – more than half of states are now at 'very high' levels, the most severe designation by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention – but is it possible that some of those people are catching it for a second time? Flu is an illness caused by influenza viruses that often arrives suddenly with symptoms of fever, cough, headaches, sore throat and more. 'Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death,' according to the CDC. There are four types of flu (A, B, C and D), but the annual 'flu season,' typically starting in October and lasting as long as March or April, is caused by the viruses behind Flu A and Flu B. Flu A also has two subtypes that routinely circulate, H1N1 and H3N2. The flu season feels worse than normal this year. Is it? As for getting the flu twice in once season, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Nexstar that it is indeed possible. 'You could get influenza [A] and then get influenza B, yes,' Adalja said. 'Or you could get infected very early in the season, and then by the end of the season your immunity wears off, so yes you can get infected more than once.' Influenza A is by far the dominant type this year, making up 2,642 of the 2,693 lab-confirmed cases of flu during the fourth week of 2025. Within each of the main flu types, there are multiple strains, and the viruses continue to mutate. Because of this, Cleveland Clinic Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Donald Dumford says its possible to contract influenza A, for example, twice in one season. Flu map: These states are now at CDC's highest activity level 'If you got H1N1 first, then I expect you would be well protected for the H1N1 strain for the next several months,' Dumford said. 'You could still get infected with another strain like H3N2.' Unfortunately, influenza shares a number of symptoms with respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and RSV, so it can be difficult to know which virus is making us miserable. To know definitively you'll want to be tested shortly after you start feeling symptoms, which often include a scratchy/sore throat, runny nose and fever. If the lab result comes back positive, there are antiviral drugs that can be taken to shorten the sickness and lessen the symptoms. While a local medical provider can administer the test, Dumford noted that this year are also tests available over the counter at pharmacies. The CDC recommends starting antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir, commonly known by the brand name Tamiflu, within one to two days after flu symptoms begin. 'I always like to reiterate that if you have the flu, stay home from work or school and isolate yourself from your family as much as possible until fever free for 24 hours (without fever reducing medications) and your symptoms are starting to improve,' Dumford told Nexstar. 'Even then, I'm a proponent of masking for the next several days after you are out of isolation.' Cleveland Clinic doctors recommend doing the following to help prevent the spread of flu: Proper handwashing. Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Avoiding people who are sick. Wearing masks in situations when you can't avoid people who are sick, such as caring for a sick child. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
09-02-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Can you get the flu twice in a season?
(NEXSTAR) – Flu cases are surging across the country – more than half of states are now at 'very high' levels, the most severe designation by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention – but is it possible that some of those people are catching it for a second time? Flu is an illness caused by influenza viruses that often arrives suddenly with symptoms of fever, cough, headaches, sore throat and more. 'Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death,' according to the CDC. There are four types of flu (A, B, C and D), but the annual 'flu season,' typically starting in October and lasting as long as March or April, is caused by the viruses behind Flu A and Flu B. Flu A also has two subtypes that routinely circulate, H1N1 and H3N2. The flu season feels worse than normal this year. Is it? As for getting the flu twice in once season, Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Nexstar that it is indeed possible. 'You could get influenza [A] and then get influenza B, yes,' Adalja said. 'Or you could get infected very early in the season, and then by the end of the season your immunity wears off, so yes you can get infected more than once.' Influenza A is by far the dominant type this year, making up 2,642 of the 2,693 lab-confirmed cases of flu during the fourth week of 2025. Within each of the main flu types, there are multiple strains, and the viruses continue to mutate. Because of this, Cleveland Clinic Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Donald Dumford says its possible to contract influenza A, for example, twice in one season. 'If you got H1N1 first, then I expect you would be well protected for the H1N1 strain for the next several months,' Dumford said. 'You could still get infected with another strain like H3N2.' Is it the flu or another virus? Unfortunately, influenza shares a number of symptoms with respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and RSV, so it can be difficult to know which virus is making us miserable. To know definitively you'll want to be tested shortly after you start feeling symptoms, which often include a scratchy/sore throat, runny nose and fever. If the lab result comes back positive, there are antiviral drugs that can be taken to shorten the sickness and lessen the symptoms. While a local medical provider can administer the test, Dumford noted that this year are also tests available over the counter at pharmacies. The CDC recommends starting antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir, commonly known by the brand name Tamiflu, within one to two days after flu symptoms begin. 'I always like to reiterate that if you have the flu, stay home from work or school and isolate yourself from your family as much as possible until fever free for 24 hours (without fever reducing medications) and your symptoms are starting to improve,' Dumford told Nexstar. 'Even then, I'm a proponent of masking for the next several days after you are out of isolation.' Cleveland Clinic doctors recommend doing the following to help prevent the spread of flu: Proper handwashing. Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Avoiding people who are sick.
The Hill
05-02-2025
- Health
- The Hill
The flu season feels worse than normal this year. Is it?
(NEXSTAR) – It feels like everyone is sick right now. And while that is a slight exaggeration, the real situation isn't too sunny either. Last week, more than half of states – 27, to be exact – had 'very high' flu activity, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's the CDC's most severe classification for flu activity. Reports of respiratory illness are still trending upward, and lab tests for influenza are turning up about 30% positive, the CDC says. Emergency room visits and hospitalizations are also up. So far, it seems like this winter's flu season is shaping up to be worse than the past several years. 'I think a lot of people have been acclimatized to relatively mild flu seasons the last several years, because the COVID-19 pandemic really disrupted the circulation of flu,' said Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. 'This season has been more on par with with seasons that we saw pre-COVID. It's sort of going back to resembling what we used to have in 2018-2019, which people have long forgotten about.' It's not that this year's strains are particularly bad, and the vaccine formula wasn't a bad match either, Adalja said. It could have more to do with lower vaccine uptake. 'We are seeing less people getting vaccinated for all conditions including influenza,' said Dr. Donald Dumford, infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic. If you look at how many doses of the flu vaccine were administered as of mid-January, we've had 146 million shots go into arms around the U.S. That sounds like a lot, Dumford acknowledged, but it's the lowest it has been in years. Pre-pandemic, in the 2019-2020 flu season, 174 million doses had been administered at the same time of year. The number went up in 2020-2021, when concern about a flu and COVID 'twindemic' was high, but then dropped steadily since then. The flu vaccine isn't a silver bullet, but it helps prevent somewhere between 40% and 60% of illness, Dumford said, and people who are vaccinated are 40% less likely to be hospitalized than those who are not. 'Certainly the lower the vaccination rate is, the more we will see severe influenza cases, the ones that land in the hospital, ones that land in the ICU, ones that end up in death,' agreed Adalja. While we won't know how this year's flu season stacks up historically for a few more months, Adalja doesn't expect it will be a record-breaker. 'This flu season is not out of the ordinary for a pre-pandemic (year),' he said. 'People have kind of gotten lulled into having light flu seasons, so I think that's part of what's driving people to be kind of surprised by this. We haven't had ordinary flu seasons for a while, so it seems extraordinary.' Even an ordinary flu season is deadly. The CDC estimates there have already been tens of thousands of flu deaths this season. Some of the same practices that kept flu levels pretty low during the peak of the COVID pandemic can also help keep people healthy now. In addition to getting the flu vaccine, Dumford suggested people get plenty of rest, eat well and avoid those who are sick. When sick, people should stay home as much as possible to avoid spreading the influenza virus.
