Flu season is coming and you should learn how to lower your risk of getting the flu. Influenza virus starts spreading during the winter season that usually starts from October. But the number of flu patients increases during the months of December, January and February. Many people get sick during flu season. It looks like an epidemic. Its common symptoms include respiratory issues, body aches, fever, chills. cough, and sore throat.
Early flu symptoms also appear as not eating or drinking enough, difficulty urinating, having a fever with a rash, and crying without tears. But the early symptoms are more common in children. Some children also experience stomach problems like vomiting and diarrhea. Febrile seizures are another type of severe flu symptoms.
What are Preventive Measures to Avoid Flu?
Certain strategies like flu vaccines to immune boosting habits can help you avoid flu symptoms. You can lower your risk of getting the flu by avoiding going back to work until you’ve been fever-free for the last 36 hours. When you feel you don’t need fever reducing medication, you can go to your work once again.
The Health and Disease Control Department has recommended that not having a fever doesn’t mean you don’t have the flu while all other symptoms are present. You still stay at home. They say that staying at home during this pandemic season can help you prevent flu symptoms. You can easily resume your routine activities after complete recovery. However, the recovery rate is different from person to person.
According to studies, certain precautions can help lower your risk of getting the flu. You can protect yourself and the people around you by following some tips mentioned in this article.
Although, you cannot find a way to completely avoid this epidemic condition, there are strategies which can help you lower the risk of getting the flu. Let’s learn how to do this!
Top Flu Prevention Strategies
Here are some simple tips to avoid flu virus in flu season.
Getting a Flu Shot
Vaccination no doubt is the most effective way to prevent flu symptoms but its effectiveness varies from time to time. It is necessary to schedule your flu shot at a cl;inc or hospital. You can get it fro, drugstore or pharmacy without any prescription or appointment. Doctors use a needle to administer the flu vaccine in your arm. But some people like to get the flu vaccine in the form of jet injector or nasal spray. Flu vaccines are formulated in different ratios. They can help you:
- Offer protection to other people who are at risk of developing allergies as a reaction to the ingredients in the common flu shot.
- Protect yourself from multiple strains of influenza virus at once.
- Provide higher doses of flu shots to create a stronger immune response in people age 60 or older.
According to the clarification from the Drug and Medications Authorities, everyone from the age of 6 months should preferably administer the flu vaccine in the fall, i.e, from October of the year. Before having a flu shot, it is necessary to talk to your doctor. They may guide you which type of flu vaccine is the best option for you, especially if you’ve aged more than 60. If you have an allergy from mercury or eggs or even got allergic from a flu shot in the past, you should avoid getting a flu shot without a prescription.
Washing Hands with Soap
You can prevent many respiratory illnesses by washing your hands thoroughly. Keeping good hand hygiene is the best way to lower risk of getting the flu. Your hands are the part of the body that comes in contact with other objects, people and surfaces throughout the day. All surfaces are contaminated with germs. This means your hands get a lot of germs on them and then transfer them to your face, mouth, nose, eyes etc by touching them. The risk of getting these Germans inside or body increases. Therefore, the germs easily reach your respiratory tract and cause illness. You can reduce the risk of getting the flu by washing your hands carefully, especially:
- After touching an animal, its wastes or food.
- After coming in contact with dirty surfaces.
- When caring for a loved one who is sick.
- After using the washroom, changing a diaper, and helping a child use the restroom.
- When treating an open cut or wound.
- Before touching your mouth or face.
- Before and after preparing and eating food.
- After coughing, blowing your nose, and sneezing.
Experts recommend that washing your hands with a scrub and water at least for fifteen seconds can help remove germs from your hands. If you don’t have soap or hand-wash, you can use sanitizer that contains 60% of alcohol helping minimize contact with germs.
Avoiding Touching Your Mouth, Eyes and Nose
Although washing your hands with soap lowers the risk of getting contact with germs, it is true that even washing your hands throughout the day will not erase germs completely. They have the ability to multiply each minute. That’s why it is important to avoid touching the sensitive areas of the body with your hands frequently. If you do this, germs will be absorbed in those areas. Sensitive and most germs absorbing areas of body, include:
- Mouth.
- Eyes.
- Nose.
It is a common observation that many people develop a habit of biting their nails.This is not good because biting nails actually increases the risk of absorbing more germs as compared to those who don’t do this. So if it is difficult for you to kick the habit, at least try to avoid biting nails in public.
Disinfecting High-Touch Surfaces
You may think that staying at home during the influenza pandemic is the safest way to lower risk of getting flu. But that’s not as you think. Your own home is not completely safe. High-touch surfaces like door-knobs, utensils, and counter-tops, especially thighs used in bathroom and kitchen, are the reservoir of germs. When you go to your kitchen and use some utensils and counter tops to prepare a dish, contaminated utensils and surfaces make your food teemed with germs. You surely ingest these germs and become ill. So it is good to sanitize certain objects at your home including:
- Door-knobs.
- Children’s toys.
- Faucets.
- Cabinet or drawers pull.
- Counter-tops.
Avoiding to go in Crowded Places
As soon as flu season starts, you should try to avoid crowded places. Don’t spend time outside and avoid travelling. Confining yourself in close areas can help avoid coming in contact with other people. Sometimes these areas are non-ventilated. Higher numbers of people maximizes the risk of getting the flu. Places where people have gathered in large numbers are a major source of spreading influenza virus, especially for children and older adults because they are at higher risk of contracting the influenza virus.
If going to crowded places is indispensable for you, make sure to practice good hygiene diligently. Following these measures can help you lower your risk of getting the flu:
- Using a disinfecting wipe to disinfect high-touching surfaces, like grocery store cart, armrests, handrails and doorknobs.
- Practicing physical distancing.
- Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
- Carrying hand sanitizer with you.
- Wearing a face covering mask.
- Even if you suspect you have the flu, try to avoid going outside.
Symptoms of Flu
Influenza or flu virus start multiplying or causing symptoms around 3 to 4 days after exposure. However, some symptoms appear suddenly even right after the exposure, such as:
- Dry cough.
- Headache.
- Body-aches.
- Fever.
- Fatigue.
- Chills.
- Runny or stuffy nose.
- Sore throat.
A number of other respiratory infections also come with flu symptoms, including COVID-19 or common cold. However, all symptoms including flu start to improve within 7-8 days. But if you don’t feel any improvement even after a week of appearing symptoms, go for self-isolation, start wearing a mask and following good hygiene so that the recovery procedure may start as soon as possible. Persistent symptoms also indicate some other serious infection, so it’s good to go for some tests.
Treatment Measurements for Flu
If you become sick with the flu, you can take some treatment steps to reduce the severity of symptoms and discomfort.
Take More Rest
During the fight with illness, your body needs more rest. Getting over burdened while having a fight with illness can cause worsening of symptoms. Rest means you should keep yourself indoors and keep yourself isolated to stop spreading of infection to others. Rest plays a key role in recovering quickly. Sleeping and lying down for extra time is necessary to relax yourself mentally and physically.
Drink Plenty of Fluids
Vital fluids and water loss form your body in the form of sweat due to high fever. This may cause dehydration. Try to keep yourself hydrated while having a high fever. This may increase your recovery speed and treat the viral infection. Higher levels of fluids in the body also helps soothe irritated throat. You can take honey in lemon water to soothe your sore throat. More options for this purpose include:
- Soup.
- Fruit juices.
- Electrolytes.
- Water.
Flu often causes loss or reduction of appetite. You don’t feel hunger for a long time. This causes your body;s energy level to drop. Soups and fresh fruit juices can help provide energy and necessary nutrients to your body.
Take a Warm Bath
Taking a warm bath or immersing your body in lukewarm water can help reduce fever. High fever often makes you uncomfortable and irritable. Warm water helps alleviate the discomfort and reduce the symptoms. Steaming or breathing in moist air are also effective remedies. But cold water and ice are strictly banned in such conditions.
Use Over-the-Counter Medications
Flu brings a lot of body aches and headaches with it. Over-the-counter medications are considered effective to relieve pains and aches. Some common medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen are often used for relieving symptoms of flu, especially pain.
However, administering these medications to babies is not good. Contact a pediatrician while using these medications or babies. They may guide you about dosage and other aspects for children. Aspirin is also harmful for children and teenagers, because they have high chances of developing aspirin-related Reye’s syndrome.
In addition, certain cough syrups and cough drops also help ease sore throat and calm coughing. You may try simple gargling with warm water to reduce irritation in your throat. For chest or nasal congestion, you can try OTC decongestants.However, reading the label carefully before using such OTCs is necessary.
Avoid Spreading Flu
Flu is a contagious and easily transmissible infection. It transfers from one to another in no time. So the first thing you have to do, if you’ve caught flu, is to keep yourself isolated from others. This is the best way to avoid spreading flu to others.
Taking following steps can help prevent flu from spreading:
- Washing hands properly and regularly.
- Wearing a mask when going outside is unavoidable.
- Staying away from others while you experience symptoms of flu.
- Disinfecting high-touched surfaces regularly.
- Covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
When to Seek Medical Help?
Most of the time, the flu shows mild symptoms that can improve on their own and you don’t need medications or any medical assistance. The symptoms tend to improve after a week. However, some symptoms like fatigue or weakness do not go away on their own.
So it is good to contact your healthcare provider if you experience:
- A fever above 103 degree Fahrenheit.
- Shortness of breath.
- Lightheadedness.
- Earache.
- Coughing up green, brown or yellow mucus.
- Sharp chest is especially during inhaling.
Research showed that the people with an older age than 60 or less than 3 years are at high risk of developing flu. So they should have more care.
Conclusion
Winter is a season when the number of flu cases increases everyday. Many people get infected with the flu and experience severe symptoms. However, if you’re vaccinated, disinfecting high-touched surfaces before use, avoiding crowded areas and practicing good hygiene, your risk of developing flu symptoms drops. Getting caught by flu needs plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids as basic preventive measures. Over-the-counter medicines, cough reducing syrups and antiviral treatment can also help reduce symptoms. Following these tips not only help you receiver soon but also help prevent spreading flu to others.
