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Bronchitis, more commonly known as a chest cold, is a serious condition that tends to form from the common cold. It occurs when the airways in the lungs become inflamed and create an abundance of mucus.

Acute bronchitis is the most common form, which is caused by a viral infection. This type is related to smoking, which also makes it worse. Acute bronchitis is known to be worse than the common cold but not as harsh as pneumonia. Chronic bronchitis creates a cough that lasts for two to three months each year for at least two years. The most common cause of chronic bronchitis is smoking. Bronchitis symptoms include – frequent coughing that produces mucus, decrease in energy, wheezing sounds while breathing and fever. Your doctor should be notified if you have a cough that lasts longer than two or three weeks, if you have a fever, if your coughs produce blood or thick/colored mucus, or if you experience shortness of breath and/or wheezing.

While at home with bronchitis, you should drink plenty of fluids every one to two hours (unless your doctor has limited your fluid intake), get adequate rest, refrain from smoking, and take NSAIDs to relieve body aches and pains. If you are coughing up mucus, pay attention to how often you cough as well as the color and amount of mucus that comes up. This should be reported to your doctor.

If you aren’t the one who is sick but someone in your household is, here are some ways to prevent contracting bronchitis:

• Refrain from smoking
• Refrain from allowing others to smoke in your home
• Don’t spend prolonged periods of time around things that irritate your nose, throat, and lungs (such as dust and pets)
• Maintain a healthy diet
• Wash your hands on a regular basis

Don’t share food, cups, utensils, glasses, etc.

It’s officially flu season and you may have already received your vaccine. However, there are many out there who are still unsure as to whether they should get the vaccine or not. If you’re one of those who hasn’t received a vaccine as of yet, here are some frequently asked questions which will hopefully make your decision an easier one.

1. Why should I get the vaccine?
   • The flu is a virus with symptoms that range from mild to severe, depending upon the strain that has been contracted. You could be at home for a few days to a week, or you could be hospitalized. In some cases, patients have passed away from the flu (due to an extremely weakened immune system). While anyone can become sick with the flu, children, senior citizens, and those with certain medical conditions are at a higher risk of experiencing the more serious symptoms of the flu. The vaccine, available through injection and nasal spray, is the best precautionary method to take when it comes to preventing and spreading the flu.
2. What does the vaccine do?
   • The vaccine stimulates the production of antibodies that help the body defend itself against the virus. It can take up to two weeks to generate these antibodies after receiving the vaccine. Each year, the vaccine is created to fight certain types of strains that are circulating. Trivalent vaccines protect against influenza A and one type of influenza B. Quadrivalent vaccines protect against three types of flu viruses covered by the trivalent vaccine in addition to another strain of influenza B.
3. Who should receive the vaccine?
   • Those in the medical career field should get vaccinations each year, as well as those who work with/around children. Your age, allergy status, and presence or absence of an egg allergy will determine which type of vaccine is best for you. Those who are ages 2 to 49 may not want the injection; if that is the case, nasal spray vaccines may be an option as long as they aren’t taking any other medications that will cause issues with the vaccine.
4. When should I get the vaccine?
   • It is always best to get the vaccine as soon as you can, especially if the flu season has begun. Outbreaks can occur from October through January, sometimes extending into spring months. If the flu is circulating, get the vaccine, no matter which season it is.
5. Where can I get the vaccine?
   • Vaccines are available in pharmacies, urgent care centers, clinics and doctor’s offices, and university health centers. Certain schools and employers may offer the vaccine as well. You do not have to have a primary care physician in order to receive the vaccine.
6. Can I still get the flu, even if I’ve received the vaccine?
   • It is possible to still get sick, despite receiving the vaccine. The level of risk depends upon your age and current health status. Sometimes the virus is much stronger than the vaccine or the strain doesn’t match the strains in the vaccine. Antibodies will still form, however, to help fight the virus.
7. What are the benefits of receiving the vaccine?
   • It helps protect you, your loved ones, co-workers, classmates, etc., from contracting the flu virus.
   • It keeps the more vulnerable portion of the population safe from exposure, such as babies, children, senior citizens, patients with chronic health conditions, etc.
   • It decreases the severity of the virus should you happen to become sick.
   • It lessens your chances of being hospitalized and/or experiencing the more serious symptoms of the virus.
8. Will the vaccine make me sick?
   • Injectable vaccines are comprised of inactivated viruses or no viruses at all. Spray vaccines have live, weakened virus strains in them, but not enough to make you sick. These viruses are cold-adapted, meaning they only have the ability to infect cool environments, such as the nose.
9. What are the side effects?
   • Redness, swelling, soreness, a low-grade fever, and body aches are all side effects of the injectable vaccine. Muscle pain, fever, wheezing, nasal discharge, headaches, and vomiting are possible from the nasal spray, although more likely to occur in children.
10. Who shouldn’t receive the vaccine?
    • Babies under six months of age
    • People with severe anaphylaxis allergies
    • If you are currently sick, have a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome, or have an allergy to eggs or other vaccine ingredients, please consult a physician before getting the vaccine.