Flu well worth an ounce or 5 -- of prevention

This time of year, there are few sounds heard more often than ringing bells and Christmas carols.

But the "hack, hack, hack" and "aaa-CHOOOs" of flu and cold season are everywhere: the office; the day care center; the comfy confines of airplanes full of holiday travelers. It's enough to make anyone want to grab a face mask.

Instead, take an ounce of prevention and try to avoid the fever, aches and pains of the flu and the stuffy head and congestion associated with seasonal colds.

Know first that good health is your best weapon. Granted it's nearly impossible to sleep enough, exercise regularly or eat well during the holidays, but try. The better you feel, the better the odds your immune system won't wilt around runny-nosed kids and co-workers.

It's expected about 53 million Americans this year will opt for even stronger prevention by getting a seasonal flu vaccine. A record number, 160 million doses, are available for the 2010-11 flu season, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC recommends the flu shot or nasal spray for anyone 6 months and older. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, says the holidays often precede the flu season's biggest surge, from January to March.

"The timing of flu activity in any community is difficult to predict. Large increases in flu illnesses often occur after the holidays," she says. "So this is the time to take action."

This year's influenza season pales in comparison to 2009's swine flu pandemic, which triggered massive immunization drives and gallon-sized containers of hand sanitizer at schools and offices nationwide. An estimated 12,000 Americans died of complications related to the H1N1 flu strain; it wasn't included in last year's seasonal flu vaccine.

This year's seasonal vaccine includes three strains, including H1N1, and early reports show it's keeping flu outbreaks at bay, Schuchat says. The most recent flu surveillance data shows Florida and most of the country are having only sporadic outbreaks. But Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina have seen a significant spike in flu cases in recent weeks.

Getting a flu shot is incredibly convenient this year: Retail pharmacies and supermarket clinicians have trained staff to administer the vaccine, and the large supply means shortages are unlikely.

Most health plans cover some or all of the roughly $30 cost of the vaccine, or ask for a co-payment. People who have signed up for new insurance plans since late September will have 100 percent of the cost covered, according to the new national health care reform law.