Grey Bruce Health officials are reminding the public to protect themselves from the flu.
The Grey Bruce Health Unit is reporting a total of 50 lab confirmed cases of influenza since the beginning of January 2016, and while that number may seem high, it's considerably lower than the previous two years.
In fact, the last two years saw approximately 100 lab confirmed cases of the flu for the same time period.
Bob Hart, manager of the Infectious Diseases Program, says this year's vaccine contains the current H1N1 strain, which in turn should help those who have had the flu shot.
"Fortunately it's one of the ones that's in the mix in the vaccine this year, which means that the vaccine will afford you good protection from the most prevalent circulating strain right now," says Hart.
Hart notes that many people associate the flu with gastrointestinal type symptoms like nausea and vomiting but in fact the flu is a respiratory illness that involves symptoms like a fever, coughing and runny nose. Hart adds the real influenza type symptoms are greater in severity, unlike the common cold.
"The symptoms tend to be more severe, they last for a longer period of time and often after you've recovered you feel quite weak and not well for quite a period of time afterwards," says Hart.
A few tips to help prevent the spread of influenza include getting a flu shot, frequent hand washing, covering your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing and staying home when feeling ill.
