Know somebody who's sick? It could be the flu that's starting to show up in New Jersey.
Dr. Bradley Pulver is the director of emergency services at Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township.
“We’re starting to see some cases over the last couple of weeks, but there is concern that it is going to be a worse than usual flu season. It’s very widespread in many of the southern states and the expectation is it’s going to hit here very hard over the next few weeks.”
And that could be troublesome.
"Many people manage it with just fevers and achiness and having to be having out of work for a number of days. But it has the potential to be worse than that and develop into pneumonia and other life-threatening complications."
Dr. Pulver says it's important to get a flu shot even though this year's vaccine might not be dramatically effective against certain flu strains.
“This is some concern that it may not be as effective as in past years because of the specific strains. They make predictions when they develop the vaccine on what specific strains may be and they we see what happens.”
There are other precautions you can take to reduce your chances of getting the flu.
"Handwashing is critically important. The flu can live on surfaces for hours. When you go to the supermarket and grab that cart or put your hand on the railing, you must wash your hands, use hand sanitizers. And get enough sleep, don't let yourself get rundown."
If you do come down with the flu, Dr. Pulver advises staying home so you don't spread it to others.