It's cold and flu season, and on this edition of In Depth we're going to be speaking with health experts from the Bay Area and beyond about what you'll need to do to steer clear of all those pesky bugs. 

When it comes to the flu, it seems like we’re getting off easy so far as the spread of the virus remains relatively mild this year -- especially compared to the severe season we had last year -- but this is one disease that is notoriously difficult to predict, so that could all change quickly. We’ll discuss why even with flu season well underway it’s still important to get a flu shot (if you haven’t already). 

Then in the second half: All parents want to keep their kids healthy and cold-free, but new survey results show that well over half are using cold-prevention methods that have absolutely no basis in science. We speak to one of the researchers behind the study about some of the biggest misconceptions about cold prevention, and how we can all do a better job of staying informed about our health. 

Host: Keith Menconi, KCBS Radio reporter 

Guests:

Art Reingold, who heads the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health

Dr. George Han, deputy health officer with the County of Santa Clara’s Public Health Department

Garry Freed, professor of pediatrics and health policy at the University of Michigan and a pediatrician at the Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor