Six Feet, 48 Hours, 10 Days: How to Avoid Flu via The Wall Street Journal

Cases of the flu spiked across the U.S. in December. Even in a mild year, influenza kills as many as 12,000 people in the U.S., even more alarming, a bad year can cause as many as 56,000 deaths.

The flu vaccine is the most effective way to prevent yourself from catching or spreading the flu. 

A new post from The Wall Street Journal outlines numbers to keep in mind this flu season.

Three to six feet: The distance at which flu may spread from one person to another.

24 to 48 hours: The length of time you may be sick without knowing it.

Four: This is how many flu strains the World Health Organization recommends to include in the vaccine.

10 days to two weeks: How long it takes for your body to recognize its been inoculated with a vaccine.

60%…or less: People who get a flu shot are 60% less likely to get sick in a good year, but the level of protection may be much lower.

One-and-a-half: The flu’s reproduction number, which is an estimate how far and quickly it will spread.

Read the entire article from The Wall Street Journal here (subscription needed).