Flu season is here, so make sure you wash your hands.

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu, is an air-borne virus. It can be passed from one person to the next and will stay in your body for three days to a week.

The symptoms of the flu include: body aches, fever, and some nausea. All you want to do is just lie in bed and hope it just goes away. If you have body aches it would not be a bad idea to go see the doctor as soon as possible, according to DeEtte Edens, a registered nurse and coordinator of student health services at South Plains College.

What you can do, if you have any of those symptoms is take: Tylenol, Advil, or something similar to take care of the body aches. Also, drink lots of fluids, get enough rest and eat correctly, Edens said.

The flu can lead to pneumonia, explained.

"Pneumonia vaccine is more of an expenses, “ Edens said. “It is $22- $25.” “We strongly encourage our patients who have history of severe asthma or have a history of pneumonia, where they have gotten it every year, or sometimes once or twice a year, get the pneumonia vaccine. Then there are our smokers; we have a lot of folks that smoke. We highly recommend that they get pneumonia vaccine and their flu vaccines. Because of their smoking, they put themselves at high risk of getting sick."

British health officials stopped Chiron, the major manufacturer of the flu vaccines, from distributing and making the vaccine when their inspectors found unsanitary conditions in the labs. Chiron was supposed to produce 46-48 million doses of vaccine for the United States to use, but some of the vaccines was recalled and destroyed.

Due to the shortage of flu shots in the Untied States, those who fall among the following categories can get received the vaccine: children age 6 to 23 months; adults age 65 and older; those age 2 to 64 who have a chronic illness condition; all those who pregnant during the flu season; children age 6 months to 18 years who are on chronic aspirin therapy; health-care workers involved in direct patient care; and the out-of-homecare givers; and households who are in contact with children 6 months old or younger.

If you don’t fit into any of the aforementioned categories, there is nothing to fear. Help is still there.

There are some helpful prevention tips to follow to help keep you from being caught off guard and contaminated. Edens recommends, “The main thing that you can do is wash your hands. Your hands are the first contact with any virus or bacteria at all. So wash your hands, before and after you eat, before you use the restroom, after you use the restroom. “

“Cover your mouth when you cough, “ she added, “ Blow your nose with a Kleenex. If you just coughed or blow your nose, go wash your hands."

Edens also adds, " Stay clear of those who are sick and dress appropriately for the weather."
So pull out your jackets, gloves, hoodies, and hats and leave the flip-flops and midriffs at home, because no matter what part of your body is uncovered, it will still cause you to be cold, Edens said.

A second batch of the flu shot is coming out shortly.

Edens said, “We have taken care of the majority of faculty and staff.

This next batch that comes out will first go to the remaining faculty and staff. Then what is left over will go to students, if they take advantage of it."

Edens explained that as of Nov. 8, the flu had not been detected. However, it doesn’t give any indication of how the flu will be in December, when it is most commonly bad.