CANDICE Welcome to Cracker Croakers for Monday, January 21, 2019. I'm your hostess with the mostest Candice Bergeron.

COLTON: And, I'm your other host Colton Wyatt.

CANDICE: Helping to keep our audience healthy is very important to Colton and I, so today we are going to talk about an ailment the Center for Disease Control estimates kills upwards of 49,000 Americans yearly. That's okay, you can pick your bottom jaw up off the ground now. When I first heard these staggering numbers I about flipped out and knew Cracker Croakers would have to discuss the flu in detail.

COLTON: Many other reputable organizations drop the bottom out of that astronomical number and place the actual number of flu-caused deaths in the United States closer to 300 annually.

CANDICE: The flu season typically runs from December to February. So, we are currently right in the middle of the 2019 season. According to the CDC the southern, western, and northeastern portions of the United States are being hardest hit by this year's flu. And, once again it seems to be the A Strain H1N1 virus causing most cases.

COLTON: Nine states in particular are experiencing high incidents of the ailment including Colorado, Arizona, and California in the West, with Florida, Kentucky, and Alabama leading the charge in the south. In the Northeast Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut report the highest number of cases in that region of the country.

CANDICE: Our guest at the round table is Doctor Dorothea Evans, a specialist in the H1N1 flu virus. Welcome Doctor Evans to Cracker Croakers. Can you elaborate on some of the indicators of the flu, doctor?

DR. Evans: Thanks for having me here today, Candice. There are several indicators of the flu. Among them are fatigue, chills, headaches, body aches and pains, a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat, a high fever, and a lingering cough. The flu can be enough to make you want to seal yourself inside a protective bubble and not come out again.

COLTON: Isn't It true Doctor Evans the flu is a virus not a bacterial infection, and the flu can last up to a week?

DR. EVANS: The cough and fatigue caused by the flu can persist for two weeks or longer. It can take between one and four days for symptoms of the flu to manifest once you've contracted the virus.

CANDICE: How can a person with the flu pass the ailment on to someone else, Doctor Evans?

DR. EVANS: The flu virus is usually spread by airborne droplets when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or even speaks. These droplets infest others by landing on their nose or mouth.

COLTON: Can't you also become contaminated by touching surfaces where those droplets settle then touching your nose?

DR. EVANS: Another key point to remember is a person infected with the flu can be contagious the day before they display symptoms. In some cases, people can become infected by the flu virus but are asymptomatic. Even still, they can spread the flu virus to others. Do you realize nearly three-quarters of all people with the flu fall into this asymptomatic category?

CANDICE: An infected person can spread the flu to others for up to ten days. Okay, Doctor Evans, let's say you have the flu. What should you do?

DR. EVANS: Well, at this point, Candice, you're highly contagious. You shouldn't ignore the symptoms and optimally you should seek antiviral treatment within 48 hours. With the sooner you start feeling the symptoms of the flu, the sooner you seek treatment, being the better.

COLTON: You should also do everyone else in the waiting room the small favor of wearing a paper mask.

DR. EVANS: True, and if you do not have a paper mask, the staff will provide you one.

CANDICE: What kind of treatment can you expect in this situation, Doctor Evans?

DR. EVANS: Your doctor will swab your mouth and this will be tested for the flu virus. Once confirmed, your caregiver should provide you a prescription for an antiviral drug. Tamiflu the most frequently prescribed. You should take this right away.

COLTON: Are there other medications a person with the flu may be prescribed Doctor Evans?

DR. EVANS: The Center for Disease Control recommends the generic version of Tamiflu which is known as Oseltamivir, Relenza, Rapivab, and Xofluza, which came on the market on October 24, 2018. All of these medications are FDA-approved antivirals.

CANDICE: Xofluza is a novel drug that provides an important treatment option.

DR. EVANS: That is correct, Candice. Xofluza is taken as a single oral dose and is fights cap snatching. This inhibits the liberation of viruses from the infected cell surface.

COLTON: Don't these medications come an in a variety of forms, Doctor Evans?

DR. EVANS: Yes they do, Colton. Each one of them is prescription-only and may come in a pill form, as an inhaled powder, as a liquid, or an IV solution. Based on your health conditions and age, your caregiver will determine which form is proper for you.

CANDICE: How do antiviral medications work, Doctor Evans?

DR. EVANS: Antiviral medications lessen the severity of the ailment and its duration. They may also prevent more serious complications of the flu including pneumonia, ear infections, and hospitalization. However, there is a word of caution I feel I need to provide your audience members about buying Tamiflu from online sources outside of the United States.

CANDICE: Danger alert! Go ahead, Doctor Evans, what is this concern about purchasing Tamiflu from online sources outside of the United States.

DR. EVANS: Purchasing Tamiflu from online sources outside of the United States may be risky in that the product might contain hazardous ingredients and not comply with FDA regulations.

COLTON: Why do antibiotics not work in combatting the flu, Dr. Evans?

DR. EVANS: Because, as we discussed earlier, Colton, the flu is a virus, not a bacterial infection. And, viruses reproduce quickly.

CANDICE: So, that's why when you get the flu it doesn't take long to feel cruddy.

DR. EVANS: Another reason the flu is so challenging is that not only does the virus replicate quickly, its genes also mutate. Additionally, these genes can change as the flu is passed from one person to another creating new mutated strains of the virus.

COLTON: So, that explains why you can catch the flu more than one time in any given season.

DR. EVANS: Your immune system cells contain memory. However, when the flu virus mutates these immune memory cells usually do not recognize them.

CANDICE: Did you know that other animals such as pigs, horses, and birds can all host the flu?

DR. EVANS: Transmissions within groups of animals can change the virus significantly. And, when people contract the flu from animals, which fortunately does not often occur, these strains can rampantly spread because the human body does not recognize them. That's why vaccination against the flu is so effective.

CANDICE: Any other juices tidbits you wish to share with us today, Doctor Evans?

DR. EVANS: Antiviral medications do not kill the flu virus. They slow its progress, as well as stop the ailment from multiplying and spreading throughout the body. In order to receive antiviral treatment, people with high risks of complications from the flu should see their caregiver immediately.

CANDICE: We'd like to that our special guest Doctor Dorothea Evans for imparting her vast knowledge about the many aspects of the flu with our audience today. That about wraps us up for this edition of Cracker Croakers.

COLTON: In that case smarty-pants, I suppose we better say adieu. She's Candice!

CANDICE: And, he's Colton!

CANDICE AND COLTON: And, we'd like to invite you to join us again tomorrow for another entertaining edition of Cracker Croakers (Featuring Candice and Colton).