Doctors recommend flu room for upcoming season

Centra Care doctor says room part of prevention plan

LONGWOOD, Fla.Flu season is fast approaching, but do you know the best way to stop the virus if someone in your family gets sick? Doctors recommend creating a "flu room."

"We talked about this before, during H1N1 back in 2009, about isolating people in a room in the house, away from the family, if you can," said Dr. Timothy Hendrix, medical director of AdventHealth Centra Care.

It's a prevention plan Rebekah McKinley used two weeks ago when her son was tested for the flu.

"He started to feel like he had a fever, so we woke up, I took him to Centra Care that morning," McKinley said.

She said when the doctor tested her son for the flu she didn't expect the result.

"Sure enough, he had the flu," McKinley said.

In an attempt to protect the rest of her family from contracting the virus, McKinley said she quarantined her son in their upstairs loft. After getting a prescription of Tamiflu and several days of rest, her son started to feel better.

"We are disinfected but definitely getting the flu shot this year," McKinley said.

[RELATED: Here's how to get your free flu shot]

In September, doctors at Centra Care in Central Florida saw 40-50 patients a week with the flu. While it may seem early, Hendrix said it is fairly normal to see cases of the flu after the start of school.

"The season hasn't started yet, but we're seeing cases of flu, so it's a good reminder that you can still get sick now, so now's the time to go get your flu shot," Hendrix said.
 


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