Every year it hits you again. Just when you thought you’d make it through the season without the ailing symptoms, the sniffles start and a cold has caught you. Or worse, the aches and fever that come with the flu are keeping you home in bed.

The flu affects almost one in five Americans in its most prevalent years, and it causes hundreds of thousands of hospital visits a year. From flu shots to practical advice and from drugs to good habits, you can arm yourself with the tools to beat the cold and flu this season.