There is one thing that’s certain about the flu: you don’t want to catch it.

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The contagious respiratory illness can plague you with a fever, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose and achy muscles. The dreaded flu illness often comes on quickly and sticks around for a bit.

“People who are sick with the flu feel miserable,” Dr. Richard Martinello, medical director of infection prevention at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut, told Weather.com

“It’s not unusual for somebody to be in bed, away from school, away from work and their usual activities for up to a week’s time,” he said. “And influenza infection can lead to complications such as pneumonia and it can be very severe.”

Flu viruses are linked to hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths in a typical year in the United States, Martinello said, and there can be flu-related deaths in otherwise healthy people.

“The flu can be very severe, so preventing it is an important activity,” Martinello said.

Now that flu season has arrived, read on for tips on how to avoid getting the virus and passing the illness onto the people around you.

Get Your Flu Shot

“That is the single best way to avoid getting the flu,” Martinello said. “The flu shot helps to train your immune system to recognize the flu virus and prevent it from making you sick.”

Not only can the vaccine help prevent flu infection, it may also help reduce the severity of your illness if you do contract the virus, he said.

When should you get it? Right now, Martinello said. Flu viruses are starting to circulate around the country and the vaccine takes about two weeks to become fully effective in the body, he said. Flu season in the United States occurs during the fall and winter, peaking usually between December through March.

No Nasal Vaccine

In past years, people ages 5 to 49 could be vaccinated with a nasal spray flu vaccine, a nice choice for people who dislike needles. But the nasal vaccine is not being recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this flu season.

“Data from the last few flu seasons showed the nasal vaccine did not work as well as the flu shot,” Martinello said. “That’s why the CDC is recommending against it this year.”

“This year, a shot really is necessary,” he added.

Wash Your Hands

The flu is believed to be spread largely through respiratory droplets that enter the air when an infected person talks, coughs and sneezes. The CDC says people can spread to the flu to others up to 6 feet away from them.

It may also be possible to pick up flu germs from a contaminated surface, which makes hand washing important. “Whether or not the hands are a significant way people get the flu isn’t clear,” Martinello said. “Hand-washing may be an important part of preventing flu transmission.”

If you need to touch your nose or eyes, be sure to wash up beforehand to help prevent the possible spread of germs from your hands, he said.

Stay Home When You’re Sick

It may be hard for some of us to call in sick but staying home can help prevent passing the flu along.

“If you are sick and you think you may have the flu, staying away from others by staying home when you’re sick is really important to help minimize the spread of the flu and other germs,” Martinello said.

And the rest you’ll be getting may help you feel better sooner.

Make sure you are fever-free for 24 hours before going back to work, said Dr. Rahul Sharma, emergency physician-in-chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine.

Avoid Close Contact with People Who Are Sick

If a sick co-worker didn’t have the sense to stay home, keep your distance and keep up the hand-washing, Martinello said. If you shake someone’s hand and fear they are sick, wash your hands, Sharma said.

“Because a lot of these viruses are spread via droplets, you want to maximize the distance in case they cough on you or sneeze on you,” Sharma said.

Cough and Sneeze Safely

If you cough or sneeze into your hands, be sure to wash them afterward, Sharma said.

The CDC recommends using a tissue to cover your mouth and nose during a cough or sneeze and throwing it away afterward.

Clean Your Environment

If other people use your office equipment when you’re not there, disinfect things like the computer keyboard and monitor, the telephone and the countertops at the start of your day during flu season, Sharma said.

Treatment

Both doctors say people with the flu should drink plenty of fluids and can treat symptoms with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

Prescription antiviral medications may be recommended for patients sick enough to require hospitalization or those who are at risk of developing complications, including children, the elderly and pregnant women, Martinello said.

“It’s especially important to think about treating persons who may develop the most severe manifestations or complications related to flu,” he said. “Not everybody needs to be treated. It is for most people, a self-resolving illness.”

The most commonly prescribed flu medicine is Tamiflu, which slows the spread of infection within your body and eases symptoms more quickly, Martinello said.