This year’s flu season arrived quite early. Cases are rising in all parts of the U.S. and will spike upwards as people gather together for year-end holidays. Any person feeling sick with flu symptoms can contact their primary care doctor by video or in-person, but video may be a better choice because doctors’ offices are crowded with sick people during this time of year.

The best preventive care against influenza is getting the annual flu vaccine. Now is the time to get the vaccine if not already vaccinated for this season. For people who are at higher risk of being a serious influenza case but cannot receive a vaccine due to medical reasons, or who have not yet gotten this year’s vaccine, they should contact their doctor to consider medication if they have been exposed to a known flu case or have come down with flu symptoms. The prescription medication is usually the antiviral Tamiflu (oseltamivir). Persons who are eligible for medication generally are those at higher risk, such as people with particular issues like:

• Age 65 years or older.
• Age under five years, especially age under two years.
• Chronic conditions:
  • Lung: asthma, COPD, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis.
  • Heart: coronary artery disease, heart failure, congenital heart defects.
  • Metabolic: diabetes, obesity with BMI 40 or higher, congenital metabolic disorder.
  • Neurological: stroke, neurological disorder.
  • Immunosuppression: weakened immune system due to certain medications, immune disorders, cancer or cancer treatment, or HIV infection.
  • Kidney: chronic kidney disease.
  • Liver: chronic liver disease (hepatitis).
  • Blood: sickle cell, leukemia.
• Pregnancy: women who are pregnant or were recently pregnant.

One’s primary care doctor can evaluate the patient, exposure scenario and current symptoms to decide whether antiviral medication is needed. Dosing for Tamiflu is different depending on whether the purpose is treatment or prevention of the flu. Treatment works best if the patient is assessed in the first 48 hours, which is why a video visit is convenient because many influenza situations arise on weekends or holidays when medical clinics are closed.