The Sentinel

5 tips to help you battle the bugs this cold and flu season

BPT - Cold and flu season typically runs from October to May, but with summer colds, COVID outbreaks, RSV and allergies, it's a pretty safe bet that you and your family may be dealing with a variety of symptoms of one kind or another, no matter the season.

Given this year-round battle against illness, the ever-rising costs of medications can put a strain on your wallet and cause confusion as to how best to guard against all of those various bugs out there.

"It's vital for families to get reliable information on how to prevent illnesses, especially during cold and flu season when many bugs are at their worst, and what to do if they do come down with something," said Preeti Parikh, Executive Medical Director at GoodRx, the leading prescription savings platform in the U.S. "This includes information about how to get the best price on any medications they need."

That's where GoodRx comes in. It is an online platform that does double duty. GoodRx can save you up to 80% off retail prices of medications, plus it offers trusted information on the myriad health conditions that families deal with. GoodRx's articles, written by a team of doctors, pharmacists, health economists and public health experts, provide you with authoritative and trustworthy answers to your most pressing health questions so you can make better decisions for your family's health.

When it comes to navigating cold and flu season, Dr. Parikh offers the following tips to prevent illness and manage treatment if you do become sick.

Get vaccinated. Everyone should get their flu shot and COVID booster by the end of October, and these shots can be done at the same time. It’s the most important thing you can do to prevent illness, not only for yourself, but for vulnerable people in your community, such as children, the elderly and people with chronic conditions.
Older Americans should investigate the RSV vaccine. All Americans aged 75 and older should receive one dose of the RSV vaccine. Adults aged 60 to 74 with serious chronic conditions, pregnant women, and young babies may also need to get vaccinated. Work with your healthcare provider to determine if the vaccine is best for you.
Wash your hands. Everyone should practice good disease prevention! Wash your hands, avoid touching your face, and sneeze or cough into your elbow.
Protect others. If you're sick, stay home. Don't go to the office or out shopping or dining. If you must go out, wear a mask to help avoid passing those bugs around.
If you do become sick, GoodRx can help you save on treatments, including antibiotics that can treat your infection, cold medications to help with symptoms, and antivirals, which can shorten the duration or alleviate the symptoms of your illness. On average, GoodRx users save $34 on cold and flu treatment medications.

So, how do the savings work? It's actually very easy. Just go to GoodRx.com or the mobile app and type in the name of the medications you have been prescribed. You'll get a listing of local pharmacies and their prices. Choose the lowest one, and a coupon will pop up. Bring your phone with you to the pharmacy and show the coupon to your pharmacist to get the lowest possible price on your medications.

To arm yourself with information about how to battle the bugs, and ways to save at the pharmacy, visit G oodRx.com/go/fluseason.

Illinois lawmakers seek full decriminalization of sex work

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois could become the first state to fully decriminalize sex work among consenting adults, under a new proposal introduced by two state lawmakers.

The legislation, unveiled Monday by State Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) and State Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago), seeks to remove criminal penalties for adults engaged in consensual paid sex. It would also expunge arrest and conviction records for sex workers, establish a sex workers’ bill of rights, and create protections against abuses by law enforcement.

Currently, Illinois law classifies prostitution as a misdemeanor, with penalties for both sex workers and their clients. The proposed measure would not alter existing laws that make solicitation of minors a felony.

If enacted, Illinois would go further than any other state in decriminalizing sex work. While Nevada allows prostitution in licensed brothels in certain counties, and Maine recently decriminalized the sale of sex but not its purchase, no state has fully decriminalized the industry as Illinois lawmakers are advocating.

Supporters of the legislation, including advocacy groups such as Equality Illinois and the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that decriminalization is critical to improving safety and access to resources for sex workers, particularly for marginalized communities. Transgender individuals, they say, are disproportionately affected by violence within the industry.

"Seventy-five percent of all sex workers will experience sexual violence during their careers," Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, told Axios. "Nearly two-thirds of transgender people killed in the past 15 years were sex workers."

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health estimates that 45% to 75% of sex workers in Illinois will encounter violence while working. Advocates argue that fear of arrest often prevents workers from reporting abuse, creating an environment in which perpetrators operate with impunity.

Critics of the proposal, however, contend that decriminalization could lead to harmful consequences.

"Taking advantage of the super-majority in both chambers, these Democrats want ‘private choices’ about the use of one's body to be a civil right protected by law," said David Smith, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute. "This flawed thinking will only increase incidents of rape, assault and murder."

Smith further described prostitution as “inherently immoral,” arguing that it objectifies and exploits individuals involved, treating them as consumable products rather than human beings. He also warned that decriminalization could empower the criminal underworld and fuel demand for sex-trafficked victims, including children.

Under current Illinois law, individuals convicted of prostitution can face up to one year in jail and fines. Critics of the existing system say it drives the industry underground, leaving workers vulnerable to exploitation and unable to access legal protections afforded to other professions.

The proposed legislation also seeks to modernize state statutes by removing what advocates describe as dehumanizing language. Additionally, it would ensure that court records related to consensual sex work are automatically sealed.

While proponents view the bill as a step toward addressing systemic inequities and violence, opponents argue that decriminalization could exacerbate existing problems. The proposal’s introduction marks the beginning of what is expected to be a contentious debate in Springfield as Illinois considers whether to become the first state to adopt comprehensive decriminalization of sex work.