It’s that time of year again. Every year during the early winter months, the influenza (flu) virus awakens from its six-month slumber and propagates throughout schools, communities and workplaces. 
Flu season typically begins its rampage in October, November or December and reaches its peak in January. 
After winter ends, the virus persists until April or May before retreating to dormancy for another six months. 
This year, flu season in Fayette County started rather late; while in previous years cases of influenza were reported as early as October, Fayette County’s first confirmed case of the 2012-2013 flu season was reported on Dec. 3. 
Thus, with about four more months of flu season remaining in the school year, it is vital that Dunbar students learn to both recognize the symptoms of influenza and practice the necessary avoidance measures. 
There are three principal strains of influenza that proliferate during flu season: H3N2, H1N1—or the swine flu—and Influenza B. 
With a few exceptions, these three strains of influenza virus previously listed provoke very similar symptoms. 
One to four days after contracting the flu virus, the infected individuals will begin to exhibit a cough and a runny nose. 
A sore throat often complements these initial symptoms. Because the initial symptoms of the flu strikingly resemble those of the common cold, many infected individuals misdiagnose themselves as having nothing more than a cold. 
The flu takes a turn for the worst one to two days after the onset of the aforementioned cold-like symptoms, causing infected individuals to also experience muscle aches, headaches and lethargy. 
A fever and chills may also be present during this stage of the disease. Some influenza victims have reported more severe symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting, but such symptoms appear in less than 50 per¬cent of all reported cases. 
The most effective way to evade contraction of influenza is to receive a flu vaccination during the fall or early winter months. The flu vaccination consists of weakened flu virus strains that, when injected into the body, help the body to build resistance to the influenza virus. 
Lexington clinics and local pharmacies offer these vaccines for a small fee, and Fayette County’s health fairs often give these vaccines free of charge. 
In addition to vaccinations, personal hygiene is an important tool for flu avoidance. 
Students should wash their hands often, using soap and scrubbing for twenty seconds. Moreover, because influenza is very contagious, students should avoid touching their eyes, mouth and nose and stay away from infected individuals. 
Sometimes, however, because of the close contact students have with each other in a school setting, infection will occur and spread faster. 
In this case, the infected student should get an adequate amount of rest and seek medical care in order to ensure and expedite a full recovery. 
A full recovery is important because if the virus is not completely eradicated from the body, it can cause a much more serious relapse that could lead to pneumonia, bronchitis and heart inflammation. 
Infected students should also stay home to minimize classmates’ and teachers’ exposure to the virus. 
Last year Fayette County had a shocking 143 reported cases of influenza. 
This year, by taking preventative measures and minimizing exposure to the virus, Fayette County can make that figure even lower.