Cold and Flu Prevention

Part two of the cold and flu series will cover ways to prevent getting sick with one of these illnesses.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has listed three methods to better protect against the cold and flu.

1. Get a flu vaccine
• Flu vaccines protect against the 3 most common viruses for any given year.
• Individuals 6 months of age and older should receive the vaccine (under 6 months old is considered too young).
• High risk individuals should always receive flu vaccines to decrease the likelihood of severe flu illness.  High risk individuals include:
• Young children.
• Pregnant women.
• People with chronic health conditions (such as asthma, diabetes and lung disease).
• Individuals over the age of 65.
• Health care specialists and those who live with or care for high risk individuals.
2. Take every day preventive actions to stop spreading germs.
• Cover nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.
• Wash hands often with soap and water (if there is no soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand rub).
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth (germs spread this way).
• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with a flu-like illness, stay at home for at least 24 hours and limit contact with others.
• Disinfect your home regularly (use a solution of 2-5% bleach to kill viruses and bacteria).
3. Take flu antiviral drugs if prescribed by a doctor.
• Can make illness shorter and less severe.
• Important to use early for the seriously sick (within the first 48 hours).
• Antibiotics will not work and can lead to resistant strains of bacteria.

In addition to the three tips provided by the CDC, there are further ways to help prevent contracting a cold or flu.  Everyone should get plenty of rest, eat a well-balanced diet (this will be covered more in depth in the next part of the series), exercise regularly, decrease stress, cut back on unhealthy habits (like smoking and over-consuming alcohol) and to use hands-free household devices.  Hands-free soap dispensers and trash cans are a good way of protecting against the spread of germs.  Most use an infrared lens to open or dispense (some trash cans come with a foot opener instead of using an infrared lens).  Here at StealStreet we offer both hands-free soap dispensers and hands-free trash bins, which you can find here.  Stay tuned for the next part of the series, which covers foods to eat and ways to treat a cold or flu.

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