You know the signs.

The thunderous cough.

The pounding headache.

The full-body fatigue.

It’s the flu.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Last year, influenza sickened roughly 40 million Americans.

• It killed 60,000 of them.

This year’s flu season is nearly upon us.

Here are 3 tips to stay healthy.

1. Get a flu shot. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Every year, this shot prevents up to 6.7 million flu cases, 87,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths.

The shot helps make the flu less severe for those who catch it.

The CDC recommends obtaining a flu shot no later than the end of October. The vaccine takes up to 2 weeks to become fully effective.

2. Drink lots of fluids.

Remember Mom’s advice. Juice, Gatorade, herbal teas and chicken soup help fight dehydration.

Menthol ointments and humidifiers break up mucus and make it easier to breathe.

These treatments aren’t fancy, but they provide real relief.

3. Don’t take antibiotics.

They won’t help.

Influenza is caused by a virus. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. They are completely useless against viruses.

Needlessly taking antibiotics increases people’s risk of future infections. It helps bacteria evolve to become immune to treatments – a phenomenon known as “antimicrobial resistance.”

Antibiotics come with other risks.

Antibiotic overuse accelerates the spread of drug-resistant bacteria known as “superbugs.” They have already killed more than 160,000 Americans a year.

Congress is considering a law to give incentives to hospitals to use antibiotics sparingly.

Dr. Frank is director of infectious disease policy at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.