WIKIMEDIA, KOSJorge Parada, medical director of the infectious disease unit at Loyola University Health System, is kind of like an inadvertent anti-cupid. His advice is sound, but it sure isn’t sexy. “Mid-February is usually the peak season for infectious diseases, such as the seasonal and H1N1 flu, mononucleosis, colds, and coughs,” he said in a statement. Instead of kissing, sharing dessert, and cuddling by the fire with that special someone this Valentine’s Day, Parada recommends getting and giving the gift of a flu shot. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving—you protect yourself, your loved one, and you stop the virus from spreading to others,” he said. “If that isn’t sexy, and [doesn’t] say ‘I love you,’ I don’t know what does.”
Flu season around the United States, which started earlier than ever in some regions, is appearing to run its course, having peaked in many spots. Though a cure for the common cold has eluded science thus far, researchers are making strides in understanding the evolution of rhinoviruses, which often cause the temporary illness.
