The Flu: What People with Arthritis Should Know
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It’s easy to catch
The flu virus travels in respiratory droplets that become airborne when we cough or sneeze. These droplets fly at speeds of up to 320 miles per hour and can land three feet away. That’s why it’s important to give someone who’s obviously sick a wide berth.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, an infected person can spread the virus one day before they start having symptoms and up to five days after getting sick. Children can be contagious several days before they have symptoms and up to ten days after getting sick.
Flu season typically begins in late fall, peaks in February and continues through spring.
Prevention can keep you safe
Washing your hands frequently can reduce your risk of getting sick. One study of army recruits published in the August 2001 issue of The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that those who washed their hands an average of seven times a day cut their risk of getting a respiratory illness by almost half. The best way to wash your hands, according to the American Public Health Association, is to lather up and scrub for 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice), then rinse.
Should you get vaccinated?
In general, the CDC recommends flu shots, which are vaccinations to prevent influenza, for children, anyone over age 65 and anyone else who is looking to stay well, particularly if they take care of someone who is elderly or ill.
But because the flu can be especially dangerous for anyone who has a chronic illness or an immune system suppressed by drugs, the CDC recommends that people who have autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, get an annual flu shot, which contains a killed version of the virus. Inhaled vaccines contain live viruses and are not recommended for people with autoimmune diseases.
There have been two concerns about the flu vaccine for people who have autoimmune diseases. The first is that the medications like methotrexate and prednisone, which work by suppressing the immune system, may keep the vaccine from being effective.
Not to worry. A study published in 2006 in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases found that people with rheumatoid arthritis who were taking immunosuppressant drugs were able to respond to the flu shot, though they didn’t have as strong a response as healthy adults who served as controls.
