Flu activity has reached the highest levels seen in years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Jan. 10, there have been 45 flu-associated deaths so far this season and nearly 3,000 flu-associated hospitalizations in South Carolina, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health. 

“We are seeing a good bit of flu,” says Brittany Gibson, a nurse practitioner at Tidelands Health Pediatrics and Adult Medicine. “It started in October, and we started seeing an uptick in November.”

It’s not too late to get your annual flu vaccine, Gibson says. It takes about two weeks for it to fully take effect, so it’s a good idea to get it as soon as possible.

This year, public health officials are predicting that there will be some strains of the flu that the current vaccine doesn’t protect against, but the immunization can help prevent severe illness and hospitalization, which is exactly what it’s supposed to do.

“I like to use the analogy with my patients that these respiratory illnesses and the immunizations that go along with them are sort of like a seatbelt in a car,” Gibson says. “They don’t necessarily prevent car accidents, but they help protect you from the worst-case scenario if you do get in an accident.”

Older adults and babies are the most at risk, but even healthy adults can catch a severe case of the virus.

Although the flu shares a lot of symptoms with the common cold and other wintertime respiratory illnesses, patients often complain about how quickly the flu symptoms come on. Those symptoms could include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Body aches
• Headaches
• Sometimes vomiting or gastrointestinal issues
• In severe cases, difficulty breathing or chest pain

Because the flu is a virus, antibiotics won’t help you kick it. But some antiviral treatments can reduce the severity of symptoms and, in some cases, shave a day or two off the duration of the illness. They have to be taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, so make sure to visit your care provider as soon as you start to feel ill.

Otherwise, like with other viruses, Gibson recommends staying hydrated, resting and taking over-the-counter pain relievers to help alleviate some of the symptoms. Usually, most symptoms improve within a week.