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Show Cold and Flu Season Strikes Again The flu season is already here, and before long, many people may start to develop the all too familiar signs of the flu chills, fever, a dry hacking cough and nasal congestion, among others. In fact, each year since 1957 (except 1960-61) influenza has swept across the United States during the winter months, making it the most frequently occurring oc-curring illness in the U.S. Many community officials offi-cials are fighting the spread of the disease through an annual vaccination program, directed mainly at those most vulnerable to the flu the elderly, children and adults with chronic heart, lung, or immuno-deficiency disease, as well as those whose jobs are essential to community services, such as police and firemen. For supplemental protection protec-tion against the flu during the ten-day period between the vaccination and the development of protective antibodies, the Consensus Panel at the National Institutes Insti-tutes of Health recommends the use of Symmetrel (amantadine (aman-tadine HC1), manufactured by Endo Laboratories. For those who are allergic to the flu vaccine, Symmetrel can also serve as a substitute. Flu is spread quickly, through airborne droplets dispersed by talking, coughing cough-ing and sneezing. Together, the vaccine and the medicine may provide a comprehensive comprehen-sive method of controlling and treating the disease. |