BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Dr. Lauren Kuwik said pandemic practices, like washing your hands and wearing a mask when you feel sick, are critical in fighting the flu this year. She said after two years of limited flu cases, this year doctors are expecting the illness to come back full swing.
"This year, we've already had a few cases in late September. It makes us raise our eyebrows and think perhaps we will have more flu this season," Dr. Lauren Kuwik, an internist and pediatrician, said.
Dr. Kuwik said mimicking pandemic behaviors can help limit the spread of the flu once it starts going around.
"If people have flu in the house, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wear a mask when you're in the same room as other people just to decrease the transmission," Dr. Kuwik said.
However, Dr. Kuwick said the best way to protect yourself against getting the flu is to get your flu shot. The CDC said getting the flu shot reduces your risk of getting sick by 40-60%.
"[My son] gets a shot every year when he goes to the doctors office. I get a shot every year, and his mom gets a shot every year. We do the best we can," Jeff Rusack, the father of a 3-year-old, said.
Rusack said doing the best they can has prevented their family, and Grant, his 3-year-old son, from landing in the doctors office with the flu. Grant has never had it.
"I don't remember the last time I had the flu," Rusack said.
