We know you’re thinking, so we’ll say — you definitely don’t want to catch the flu this season. Yet each year in the U.S., millions of people get the flu, thousands are hospitalized, and thousands die from the flu each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So how can you help prevent exposure to or exposure to the flu? We have five simple healthy behaviors that can keep you and your family flu-free this year.
1. Get the flu vaccine
The most important thing you can do this flu season is protect yourself get flu vaccine. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine each season.
2. Avoid close contact with sick people
If you have a sick friend, family member or co-worker, avoid close contact with them until they get better. It is important to remember that flu can spread before a person knows they are infected and for 5-7 days after.
3. Wash your hands
handwashing Using soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer as often as possible can go a long way in helping prevent the spread of germs and the flu. Remember the following steps: Wet, Lather, Scrub, Rinse and Dry. Be aware that hand sanitizers may not get rid of all types of germs and harmful chemicals.
4. Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth
The virus that causes the flu can enter your body through the nose, eyes, and mouth and make you sick. Wash your hands often before touching your face.
5. Cover coughs and sneezes
When coughing or sneezing, be sure to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve or elbow, and avoid using your hands. Also, put your tissues in the wastebasket for safe disposal, and consider wearing a surgical mask to avoid spreading the virus when you cough or sneeze.
6. Clean your home and office
It’s important to remember that cleaning and sanitizing are not the same thing. Think of it this way: cleaning removes germs from surfaces, and sanitizing destroys them. Even if a surface looks clean, there can still be germs on the surface, so take the time to sanitize regularly during flu season.
7. Practice healthy behaviors
Staying fit by eating healthy, controlling your weight, exercising, managing stress and getting enough sleep will help keep your body healthy and strong this flu season.
refer to:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- To protect and prevent the flu: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm
- About the flu: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm
- Clean handwashing saves lives: http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/
- Protect yourself and others: http://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/
- Cover your cough: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm
