T-R PHOTO BY ADAM SODDERS - Getting vaccinated, covering coughs and sneezes, and washing hands are all good ways to prevent catching and spreading diseases this late winter.

For some in Central Iowa, there’s more to be miserable about than the next huge snow storm or frigid, face-burning cold.

Illnesses like the flu, stomach flu, colds and more come in full force this time of year, and medical professionals say that means extra caution should be practiced to avoid getting sick.

“It’s that time of year when flu season peaks,” said Pat Thompson of Marshall County Public Health.

She said it isn’t too late to get vaccinated for this year’s flu season, and doing so could prevent sickness or seriously lessen the severity of a flu infection. Two major types of the flu are influenza A and influenza B, but they’re not the only illnesses out there.

Though similar in name, the stomach flu denotes a different bug than that of influenza. It can cause vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. Thompson said the annual flu vaccine does not help fight the stomach flu.

Infections like the common cold also surge in late winter.

Thompson said there are a range of severe symptoms that should be cause for a visit to the emergency room when a person is sick. UnityPoint Health-Marshalltown ER Dr. Lance VanGundy said dehydration is a key warning sign.

“If you go a significant period of time and you’re not able to get fluids in, one of the first things you’ll notice is your urine output drops off,” VanGundy said. “You’re starting to lose the hydration battle.”

Oftentimes, he said people who are dehydrated due to vomiting or diarrhea get better after treatment that lessens those symptoms. It gives patients a chance to get water in the body without sending the water straight back out.

VanGundy and Thompson said certain groups of people should be extra careful and consider going to the ER earlier. Those include the very young, the very old, people with health conditions like asthma, kidney disease and other chronic illnesses.

Both also implored that everyone who is able should get vaccinated against the flu. Good personal hygiene also goes a long way.

“You can’t overestimate the importance of good hand-washing for everybody before you eat anything or leave the bathroom,” VanGundy said.

Keeping away from others while sick was another piece of advice.

“If you’re sick with a fever, stay quarantined in you house … most of these viruses are spread in the air,” VanGundy said. “All it takes is you to walk into a convenience store to pay for your gas and you cough and now the next 10 people who walk in there are going to get sick.”

Thompson said good hygiene and vaccinations are good for everyone, especially the most vulnerable, such as young children and babies. Those groups may not be able to get the same vaccines that adults and older children can get.

“Everybody wants to hold a baby, but if you’re sick please don’t,” she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between Oct. 1, 2018 and Feb. 16, 2019, between 17.7-20.4 million people have caught the flu in the United States. That has caused over 200,000 hospitalizations and more than 13,600 deaths.

For more information, visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm

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Contact Adam Sodders at

(641) 753-6611 or

asodders@timesrepublican.com