Brooklyn Doctors Advise on How to Fight the Flu

Fern Gillespie
This year’s 2025 flu season is fierce. Even some people who diligently received the flu season vaccine have found themselves bedridden with the flu. The Center for Disease Control estimates that nationwide this year’s flu has caused at least 33 million illnesses, 430,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths.

According to Dr. Qudsia Banu, MD, an internist and a primary care physician at One Brooklyn Health, there has been a significant increase in influenza cases in Brooklyn and across New York City. “More than 14,000 flu patients have visited New York hospitals so far in 2025,” she said. “In the week of Feb 15, 72 percent of all tests sent for flu were positive for influenza A and 27 percent were positive for influenza B. Influenza-like illness visits were at 11 percent of all weekly healthcare visits.”

Our Time Press wanted some insights into tackling the flu. Dr. Banu and Dr. Joseph Paul, MD, HIV specialist at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, provided their expertise.

Why did Some people who have received the flu vaccine still get sick from the flu?
Dr. Paul: “The flu shot itself provides you with antibodies to fight the flu. But the antibody that your body make may not be enough or sometimes it does not stay indefinitely. If you got the flu shot and got the flu, it would be a way milder case than it you had not been vaccinated. If you didn’t have the flu shot it would have been worse.”

Dr. Banu: “The flu vaccine is designed to boost the body’s immune response, so even if someone does get infected, their body is better prepared to fight it off. This often means less severe symptoms, fewer complications, and a quicker recovery.”

There has been an increase in flu, Covid, and RSV this year. All three have vaccines available. Can you explain the different symptoms for each illness?
Dr. Paul: “All three, COVID, the flu and the RSV are all viruses and all those give the exact same symptoms, fever, headache, running nose and cough. And the symptoms are the same. The only way to know exactly which one you’re dealing with is if you see the doctor. There is a test that we could do that would tell us exactly which one of the three or if, if it is more than two. It’s better to contact the doctor within two days.”
Dr. Banu: “It is urgent to see a doctor for severe symptoms like difficulty breathing or fast breathing, chest pain or pressure, bluish lips, dehydration (in children no urine for 8 hours, dry mouth, no tears when crying) dizziness, confusion, inability to arouse, fever above 104 degrees Fahrenheit that is not controlled by fever-reducing medicine, any fever, in children younger than 12 weeks and fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen

Are the elderly and young children at a higher risk for the flu?
Dr. Banu: “Some people are at high risk for serious complications from the flu. This includes older people, pregnant women and young children. “People with certain health conditions , including but not limited to chronic lung disease, chronic heart disease, chronic liver or kidney disease, diabetes and cancer, are also at higher risk. It’s recommended that people at risk of severe complications should receive their flu shots early in the fall season, take preventive measures to avoid getting the flu and seek early medical care if they do get sick.
Dr. Paul: “The weaker the person’s immune system is the more likely the person is at risk to have those viruses. If you look at children and the elderly, people that are over 60, they are at high risk. If you look at people who have immune deficiency like chemotherapy. Anything that weakens the system will give the opportunity for the viruses to attack the person more easily. We have to make sure that these people are vaccinated.”

Do you think that people should consider wearing masks again?
Dr. Banu: When worn by a person with an infection, masks reduce the spread of the virus to others. Masks can also protect wearers from inhaling infectious particles from people around them. This may be an option, especially in crowded, enclosed spaces like buses, trains and airports.
Dr. Paul: “Wearing masks again is a very good idea.” “If we have the flu shot and wear the mask and have frequent hand washing. With the three together it will have a huge impact on the flu itself and the people getting the flu during the flu season.

What impact does basic handwashing have on illnesses like the flu and COVID?
Dr. Paul: “During the pandemic we were very much on our guard with the hand washing, with mask wearing and decreasing possibility of having contact with any viruses whatsoever.

Of course, at that time we’re talking more about COVID. But the hand washing and also the wearing mask decrease the possibility of the flu virus to be in contact with our respiratory tract. But now if you look around, people are not washing their hands or taking the hand sanitizer the same way they used in 2020-2021.

And to go back further, if you look at the flu season of 2020, it was in the thick of the pandemic. That year we were shocked to realize that we had way less cases of flu than we usually have because obviously hand washing, hand sanitizer, wearing masks are making a difference. The public is neglecting hand washing. Sometimes we have germs on our hands that we are not even aware of. Sometimes, we are taking the subway and have to hold on the pole so we don’t fall down.

But we don’t know what the person who was holding the pole before had put on it. We don’t know what we have on our hands. The hand sanitizer and frequent hand washing will help preventing the flu.”

Dr. Banu, what are some of the healthy steps people can utilize to avoid getting the flu?

Wash Your Hands Regularly: Hand hygiene is crucial. Wash your hands with soap and water , scrubbing for least 20 seconds, especially after coughing, sneezing, handling food, or touching surfaces that might have been contaminated. If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, especially if your hand are not clean.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you are sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them until your symptoms are better overall and you have no fever.

Cover Your Coughs and Sneezes: Always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze to prevent spreading germs. Dispose of tissues in a trash bin.
Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces: The flu virus can live on surfaces for several hours. Regularly disinfect items that are commonly touched, like doorknobs, light switches, phones, and remote controls.

Boost Your Immune System: Eating a balanced diet rich in vitamins and nutrients (like vitamin C and zinc), getting enough sleep and exercising regularly can help your immune system function properly.

Wear a Mask: you can choose to wear a mask In crowded or high-risk places (like public transportation or healthcare settings), wearing a mask can help reduce the spread of the flu and other respiratory viruses.
Improve your air quality by bringing in fresh outside air purifying indoor air as this can reduce the risk of exposure to viruses.