A family doctor has revealed exactly what you should do if you were exposed to the flu – as a severe variant of the illness is spreading rapidly across the United States.
The crucial information was shared in a new TikTok video by Dr. Jessica Kiss, who goes by username @AskDrMom on social media.
Dr. Kiss is a board-certified family doctor with years of experience under her belt, and she often takes to her TikTok to share medical guidance for parents and caretakers.
And as the flu is spiking in America, Dr. Kiss has now revealed the crucial steps that you need to take if you were exposed to the influenza A(H3N2) variant.
‘The single biggest call I am getting outside of people being actively sick with super flu or one of those things, is that they’ve been exposed to somebody with super flu, which is that H3N2 virus,’ Dr. Kiss said.
She explained that H3N2 has an incubation period of one to four days, which means that is the amount of time it takes to develop symptoms.
However, she pointed out that you are usually contagious before you start coming down with symptoms.
‘That’s the time where the virus is already replicating in you,’ she explained. ‘This is why handwashing everywhere you go, and masking whenever possible, is very important right now.’
A family doctor has revealed exactly what you should do if you were exposed to the flu – as a severe variant of the illness is spreading rapidly across the United States (stock image)
‘Some evidence suggests, too, that doing aggressive nasal saline rinses may help reduce it, but it’s hard to know how much that’s gonna help in this situation,’ Dr. Kiss added.
There are two medications that have been proven to reduce the risk of contracting the virus once you’ve been exposed, and that is Tamiflu and Xofluza.
Dr. Kiss said that doctors can prescribe these medicines to you before you have symptoms.
‘Xofluza is a one-time, one-dose pill, so either you take it before you have symptoms when you’ve been exposed, or, if in a couple of days, you got the flu and you’re flu positive, you take it,’ she explained.
‘Basically, you need to take it within 72 hours of having symptoms.’
While she noted that a recent study suggested that it is ‘developing resistance’ more quickly with this new strain, Dr. Kiss said it’s not something that she’s seen clinically or that her colleagues have seen.
Tamiflu is another antiviral option, which is mean to treat the flu. However, when taking this prophylactically, there are different guidelines.
Typically, you are supposed to take Tamiflu twice per day for five days, two days after you came down with the illness.
The crucial information was shared in a new TikTok video by Dr. Jessica Kiss, who goes by username @AskDrMom on social media (stock image)
But according to Dr. Kiss, if you’re taking the medication after you’ve been exposed, you are supposed to take it once per day for 10 days, unless you come down with the flu during that window.
‘Sometimes your doctor will convert you, sometimes they won’t, depending on where you are in the course, so at that point, it’s very important to talk to your doctor,’ Dr. Kiss said.
‘And just because this is available, doesn’t mean it’s right for you,’ she continued. ‘That conversation is something you need to have with your own healthcare provider.’
In the comment section of her video, many users even offered their own suggestions and tips about how they’ve managed to combat the flu this year.
‘Sanitize the grocery cart handle. That’s a super spreader point,’ one person wrote.
Another shared: ‘I have my husband and kids locked in a room. I wear a mask when I go in. And I spray myself down with Microban when I leave the room. I sleep in another room. They are all SOOOO SICK!’
‘My husband got the super-flu. I was around him 24/7. I didn’t get it. I’ve been taking probiotics for about two weeks due to having surgery three weeks ago. Take probiotics to protect yourself,’ someone else claimed.
As of December 13, New York – along with New Jersey, Louisiana, Colorado and Rhode Island – has reported ‘very high’ numbers of outpatient visits to medical providers complaining of flu-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For the week ending December 20, New York had its highest number of flu infections ever recorded in a single week – 71,123, according to the New York State Department of Health.
Another 10 states have ‘high’ numbers of flu-related checkups this year. They include Massachusetts, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, New Mexico, Idaho and Michigan.
Cases are also elevated in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, an unincorporated US territory.
The CDC has also concluded that infections are on the rise in 47 states, a prediction current as of December 16. The only state where cases are declining is Hawaii.
