You’ve heard it many times — washing your hands and getting the flu vaccine are the two most effective ways to help eliminate the spreading of influenza.  And you’re listening.

Dr. Michael Toth, Urgent Care medical director at Austin Medical Center (AMC), commends people for practicing good prevention this year as the flu season was not as bad as it has been previous years.

“Austin Medical Center has seen a dramatic decrease of influenza cases this year, which is great,” Toth said. “This year the medical center saw only one-third the number of influenza cases compared to last year.”

This year’s flu vaccine was very effective in preventing influenza infections as it was a good match for the viruses that were seen in the Austin community.

“Getting vaccinated was especially important in providing protection against the flu,” Toth said. “This was because some of the flu virus strains were resistant to the usual antiviral medications health care providers would normally use for treatment.  Most people who get the flu are pretty miserable, so remember that prevention of influenza is always better than trying to treat it.  Plus, AMC’s staff vaccination rate was at an all-time high of 92 percent this year, which also was key in prevention within the medical center.”