30 September 2009
Preventing the Flu
Good Health Tips which can help prevent the spread of germs.
The single best way to prevent seasonal influenza is to get vaccinated each year. Good health practices like washing your hands and covering your cough will also help stop the spread of germs and may prevent respiratory illness like the seasonal flu.
Here are some healthy living tips:
Clean your hands: Washing your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol based hand sanitizers will help protect against germs.
Cover your nose and mouth. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing. If a tissue is not available, cough into your elbow. This may prevent those around you from getting sick. Wash your hands after you cough or sneeze.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs, including the influenza virus, are spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth.
Avoid close contact: Try to avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you are ill, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
Stay home when you are sick: Stay home from work, school and “errands” when you are sick. This will help others from catching your illness.
Practice other good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink lots of fluids and eat a nutritious and balance diet.
Did You Know?
The main way influenza viruses are spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person are propelled (up to 3 feet) through the air and are deposited on the mouth and nose of people nearby.
There is no scientific evidence that any herbal, homeopathic or other folk remedies have any benefit against influenza
Human influenza viruses generally can survive on surfaces such as desks, doorknobs, keyboards and telephones from 2-8 hours
The peak of the flu season is generally from late November through March. Yearly seasonal flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as the vaccine is available. Vaccination should continue throughout the season, into December, January and beyond.
There are two forms of flu vaccine. The flu shot and the nasal-spray vaccine are both effective at preventing the flu. The nasal-spray flu vaccine is always an option for healthy people (those without an underlying medical condition that puts them at risk for flu complications) ages 2-49 who are not pregnant.
Influenza vaccine virus is grown in eggs. People with a severe egg allergy should not get the vaccine. A severe allergy to any vaccine component is also a reason to not get the vaccine.
About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies that provide protection against the influenza virus infection develop in the body. This protection can last up to one year.
You cannot get the flu from a flu shot. The viruses in the influenza vaccine are inactivated or killed. You could experience minor side effects like soreness or redness at the injection site, low grade fever or body aches which usually last 1-2 days.
The time from when a person is exposed to the flu virus to when symptoms begin is about one to four days, with an average of two days.
A person who is infected with the flu virus is considered contagious from 1 day prior to becoming sick and for 5 days after they first develop symptoms. Young children and those with weakened immune systems may be contagious for longer than a week.
The seasonal flu vaccine will not protect against the new novel strain H1N1 Influenza virus. Only the novel strain H1N1 vaccine will provide protection for the novel strain influenza virus.
If you have additional questions about seasonal or novel strain H1N1 influenza virus, please email Mobile Health Medical Services at adunne@mobilehealth,net
Next in Mobile Health’s Clinical Corner: What you need to know about the seasonal and novel strain H1N1 influenza vaccines.
Reference: Center for Disease Control: Influenza (Flu)