Fighting the flu with vaccines

James Cong, Director of Clinical Affairs at Tarrytown Pharmacy says the number one way to fight the flu is to get proper vaccinations.

AUSTIN, Texas - Flu season is here.

According to officials, the number one way to fight the flu is with a vaccination. "If you do get the flu [and] you've received the flu shot, your symptoms will be lessened. Every day we're giving tons and tons of flu shots." said James Cong, Director of Clinical Affairs at Tarrytown Pharmacy.

Cong says this year has been had a rough start. According to Cong, the flu is a viral pathogen that antibiotics won't help. He says it's important to protect yourself at all costs, " The flu is something that kills thousands of people every year. You're protecting yourself and also those who are younger like children who are too small to be immunized." said Cong.

However, the flu shot is not 100 percent effective. According to the CDC, in seasons when the vaccine viruses matched circulating strains, the flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of the flu by 40-60 percent.

Cong also mentions that doing a few precautionary things on a daily basis will also help. "Washing your hands [and] covering your mouth when you sneeze. The flu is something that's mostly transmitted through the air so [be] careful when you are sick of yourself." he said.