This year’s flu season is far worse than recent years.

Doctor Cotton, a pediatrician at Sentara Healthcare Systems, understands how important her job is to help those affected by the flu.

Q: How does this flu season compare to flu seasons in the past?

A: “This years flu season is the worst flu season in a decade. Its a very bad strain of flu mostly influent a, which usually causes worsening disease. So its pretty serious and its the first year in a really long time that the entire country has been in wide spread flu at the same time. Usually it moves from one coast to the other, but this year the whole country is in wide spread at the same time.”

Q:What are the symptoms of the flu?

A: “Most people have a sudden onset of fever, headaches, sore throat, congestion, and cough. Some people will have some nausea and vomiting. Most people will say that they have a really bad head ache. All their muscles hurt all of a sudden and they just really want to sleep.”

Q: What should someone do if they think they have the flu?

A: “Most of the care for the flu is taking care of symptoms so drinking a lot of fluid, treating fever with Ibuprofen or Tylenol. Those are really important things. It is important for people who have medical problems like diabetes or asthma or heart disease to contact their doctor right away if they think they have flu like symptoms because those people are probably good candidates for an antiviral medicine called Tamiflu  and also for children who have medical problems or are under the age of two also should contact their providers right away if they have flu symptoms so that they can be considered for Tamiflu.”