FLU VIRUS ARRIVES EARLY.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

Maybe it hasn't hit your office, home or children's day care yet, but - sniffle cough sneeze - flu and cold season is here.

Influenza has arrived in the Eugene-Springfield area about a month earlier than normal. And the usual cold bugs are circulating as the weather turns wet and cold and people spend more time indoors, spreading germs.

State health officials have confirmed 22 cases of influenza in Oregon to date, none in Lane County. But spot checks with local medical clinics and day care centers indicate that the flu virus is here, based on the use of "rapid" flu tests that are taken in a doctor's office and aren't as accurate as a flu culture grown in a lab.

This year's flu season is expected to be worse than the previous three years, which were unusually mild, said Dr. Fred Hoesly, an epidemiologist with the state Department of Human Services.

"This year may be above average, but I'm not sure it's going to be terribly serious at this point anyway," he said.

A virulent strain of influenza is hammering other regions of the country, including Colorado where health officials last week reported more than 1,300 cases and four deaths.

That's why public health officials are urging people to get a flu shot if they haven't already. It's cheap insurance against a disease that kills about 36,000 Americans each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A flu shot is no guarantee against getting influenza, but it will provide some protection against serious illness, hospitalization and death, Hoesly said.

One catch is that this year's flu shot - made up of several strains of influenza that health officials anticipated would be most prevalent - provides only partial protection for a strain making its way across the United States, Hoesly said.

Health officials knew the Type A Fujian strain could be a risk virus for the United States, but were unable to grow the virus in time to include it in the vaccine, he said.

But the Fujian strain is closely related to the Type A Panama strain, which the flu shot guards against, he said.

Local health care providers say they're seeing patients sick with colds and flu, even those who got a flu shot.

"The flu is definitely out there," said Debbie Thomas, clinical supervisor at River Road Medical Group in Eugene. "We've seen a lot of sick people recently with fevers, severe headaches and achiness" - the typical flu symptoms.

One patient recently tested positive for the influenza strain that wasn't included in this year's flu vaccine, she said.

Numerous University of Oregon students have been showing up at the University Health Center with viral respiratory infections, including colds and some flu-like illnesses, said Dr. Tom Ryan, the center director.

Close to 50 percent of the students with flu-like symptoms tested positive for influenza using a rapid flu test, he said.

Elise Bales, director of the EWEB Child Development Center in Eugene, came back to work Tuesday after being sick with the flu for a few days. Several children also have gotten sick this season, including one with the flu, but the center does its best to keep the children and their parents from getting sick, Bales said.

"We have really stringent hand-washing policies here," she said.

Children wash their hands when they first arrive and are encouraged to do so before they go home, she said. "The idea is to keep home germs at home and school germs at school," Bales said.

Frequent hand-washing is a key to preventing flu and colds, public health officials say.

Eating well, staying hydrated, staying away from sick people and exercise also will help the body fend off sickness, said Jamie Sherman, a triage nurse at PeaceHealth Medical Group's downtown Eugene clinic.

A study published in August 2002 found that people who exercise regularly - that's 30 minutes of brisk exercise four or more times a week - reduced their risk for getting sick by 23 percent compared to more sedentary people.

The findings, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, were even more dramatic in the fall, when 40 percent of colds occur: Active people reduced their risk of cold by 32 percent. Researchers suspect being physically active stimulates immune cells that fight colds.

While influenza is the more serious disease, the common cold takes a huge toll not just on the body but also the economy.

The cold wars cost about $40 billion a year, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last February. Based on a survey of 4,000 households, researchers estimated that the cold afflicts about 500 million Americans each year and hits 75 percent of U.S. households.

The $40 billion figure includes the cost of doctors' bills, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and lost work and school days. Lost work days accounted for about half the total bill.

If you do catch a cold, health professionals prescribe rest and fluids as the best way to help your body battle the bug. Over-the-counter medications - acetaminophen, ibuprofen, cough drops and syrups, nasal sprays - may help with symptoms but won't shorten the duration.

However, one medication - zinc - has been found in some studies to shorten the length of a cold. A study published last January and funded by the maker of a zinc nasal spray found that people who used a zinc nasal spray cut their colds short by 1 1/2 days compared to those treated with a placebo. Some patients using the spray cut the cold in half, from six days to three.

Large doses of Vitamin C - up to 2 grams - have been shown in some studies to shorten the duration and severity of a cold, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. But studies haven't found Vitamin C to help the body prevent colds. And too much Vitamin C taken over long periods can be harmful, according to the National Institutes of Health.

STAYING HEALTHY

Health professionals offer these tips for reducing your risk of illness:

Wash your hands frequently

Get plenty of rest and eat right

Get a flu shot: Schedule one with your health provider, or stop by Lane County Public Health, 135 E. Sixth Ave., Eugene, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. any Wednesday (cost is $17)

Exercise: Studies show that people who exercise regularly reduce their risk of getting sick by as much as one-third compared to people who don't exercise

Avoid prolonged contact with people who are sick

Don't cough or sneeze into your hands - use tissues or the crook of your arm

Don't share drinking glasses

CAPTION(S):

Four-year-old Laila Weatherly (left) and Erin Paulson, also 4, scrub up at the EWEB Child Development Center in Eugene on Tuesday afternoon. Health officials recommend frequent hand washing as one of the best ways to prevent the spread of illnesses.