Is winter the time of year you need health insurance in Florida most? It's certainly the time that more people are exposed to influenza, and Florida residents are already dealing with the flu, early than usual this season. Since September, a strain of the flu known as AH3 has been seen and 123 deaths are believed to connected to three flu outbreaks. This is usual because flu season typically peaks later during January and February. It sometimes drags on through April or May. The early invasion may catch many people before they get a flu shot, but this year's version is not avian or swine flu. According to Julia Gill, the director of the disease control division of the Florida Department of Health, "The strain circulating is the AH3 strain. It's not the flu strain of last season, and it is a good match for the current vaccination available." Where Are The Flu Outbreaks In Florida? As it has in past years, the flu was first identified in Central and Southern Florida. It's spreading from there and three outbreaks have been reported. These were seen in a long-term care facility, a nursing home and a school. Gill says that flu shots are already widely available from county health departments and doctor offices. Even some drugstore chains provide vaccinations now. Florida health insurance plans purchased after health care reform in March 2010 provide free vaccinations without co-pays or having to meet a deductible. Who Is At Highest Risk For The Flu? In the 2009-2010 flu season, H1N1 grew into the first flu pandemic in over 40 years. So far, influenza remains unpredictable, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expect to see H1N1, along with other flu viruses, throughout the winter. The 2010-2011 flu vaccine fights three viruses that are predicted to be the most common now, including H1N1, A H3N2 and an influenza B virus. Several groups of people remain at highest risk for serious complications. People with chronic problems such as asthma, diabetes, or heart and lung disease need greater protection. Both those over 65 and young children are also at high risk, as are women who are pregnant. Since only children who are six months of age or older should be vaccinated, the CDC recommends that people who care for young children get vaccinations to avoid carrying viruses to the children. The CDC also recommends that anyone with flu-like symptoms avoid contact with others for at least 24 hours after your fever ends without using medicine to reduce it. How Can Health Insurance For Florida Fight The Flu? If you do get the flu, antiviral drugs (not antibiotics) can shorten the amount of time you feel sick and make your symptoms milder. These antiviral drugs are not available over-the-counter and are only available with a doctor's prescription. You need to take them within the first two days that you develop symptoms, such as body aches, cough, fatigue, fever and chills, headache, runny or stuffy nose or a sore throat. Some people only have respiratory symptoms without a fever and others have diarrhea and vomiting with the flu. Vitamin D Shortage May Fuel Spread Of The Flu UCLA scientists, among others, have published research indicating that a naturally occurring steroid hormone is a potent antibiotic. That steroid hormone is vitamin D. While it does not directly kill bacteria and viruses, vitamin D increases the production of proteins that are called antimicrobial peptides. Two hundred of these antimicrobial peptides are known to destroy the cell walls of bacteria, fungi and viruses like the flu virus to keep the lungs infection free. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston along with scientists at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine think vitamin D may help arm our immune system. The problem is that most people have low levels of vitamin D in their blood during the winter when influenza strikes. Supplementing with vitamin D3 and being protected by Florida health insurance can help you get through the current flu season and those to come. It's also a good idea to increase hand washing and disinfecting commonly-handled items at home and around the office.
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