Getting Ready for Flu Season
Seasonal flu sickens 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population each year during the cooler months, and tens of thousands of deaths are flu-related every year, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The flu causes businesses to lose productivity when large numbers of their workers are out sick and children to have to miss school for days at a time—not to mention how terrible you feel. For this reason, you should educate yourself about the flu, as well as do what you can to protect yourself and your family from coming down with it.
There are many different kinds of flu, and new virus strains are constantly being discovered. That’s why we are still susceptible to getting the flu even after our body has fought it off in the past. H1N1, or swine flu, was a strain that caused quite a stir in the U.S. in 2009, and H5N1, or bird flu, is a particularly lethal flu strain that is mostly found overseas.
Good hygiene is the first step to flu prevention. This starts with washing or otherwise sanitizing your hands using an anti-microbial soap, especially after you have come in contact with a crowd of people. It is a good idea to carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you and to use it regularly, especially after using public restrooms, payphones, ATM machines, gym equipment, or public use computers at libraries. You never know where you could pick up a flu virus.
The best prevention, however, is to get a seasonal flu shot as soon as they are available. Vaccinations will protect you from the most common strains of flu that are expected to crop up that particular season. While a flu shot won’t keep you from getting any and all strains of flu, they help protect you from the ones you are most likely to get. In 2009, separate shots were also available for swine flu, although not as soon as many had hoped.
You should also do what you can to strengthen your immune system. Daily doses of vitamin C taken in capsules or from eating citrus fruits are a good idea, and so is taking echinacea. You should make sure you are getting plenty of sleep and keeping your stress level to a minimum, as the body is more susceptible to illness when it is tired and stressed.
Finally, stay home by any means possible if you contract the flu. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and schedule a doctor’s visit so you can ask about antiviral drugs and other treatment options.
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This entry was posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 11:11 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
