While there are a lot of great reasons to love fall, this time of year also marks the beginning of flu season. Flu season generally begins in October and ends around April or May. In order to avoid catching the flu, you should follow these five tips to help you stay healthy during flu season.
1. Wash Your Hands
One of the best ways to stay healthy during flu season is washing your hands. While washing your hands regularly is always important, this habit becomes even more necessary when you are trying to avoid getting sick during flu season. Wash your hands as frequently as you can, especially when you have been around people who may be sick. To maximize the effectiveness of hand washing, scrub your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds. Make sure you get all the surfaces of your hands, including your palms, backs of your hands, between all your fingers, and under your fingernails.
2. Avoid Contact with Sick People
If you want to avoid getting sick during flu season, avoid being around people who are sick or who have flu-like symptoms. Being in a confined space with a sick person can be a great way to catch the flu. If you do need to get close to someone who is sick, make sure you wash and sanitize your hands afterwards as well as any surfaces they may have touched. If you are caring for a family member who is sick, wash your hands frequently and have them do the same, and avoid any unnecessary contact.
3. Disinfect Surfaces Regularly
Viruses like the flu tend to survive best on hard surfaces. Clean and sanitize surfaces like counters, thermometers, trays, electronics, and other hard objects often. Though soft surfaces like toys and clothing are less likely to transfer germs, they should also be washed after being in contact with a sick person as an added precaution. Make sure you use a germ-killing cleaner or sanitizer to effectively prevent the spread of germs during flu season.
4. Don’t Touch Your Face
Even if you wash your hands frequently, they may still come into contact with an object or surface that a sick person has recently touched. That’s why it’s important to avoid touching your face, especially your nose, mouth, and eyes, if you want to stay healthy during flu season. These are the parts of your face that are the most common points of entry for germs like the virus that causes the flu.
5. Get a Flu Shot
One of the best ways to protect yourself during flu season is by getting a flu shot. It’s typically recommended that anyone over 6 months old who is medically able should get a flu vaccine each year. This vaccine helps your body build immunity to the virus and causes the production of antibodies. For maximum protection, you should get a flu shot at the beginning of flu season before people around you start getting sick.
Flu Shots at Your Local Michigan Pharmacy
Here at The Drug Store Pharmacies in Michigan, we want to help you stay healthy year round, including flu season. That’s why we make it easy for you and your family to get flu shots and other vaccines at our convenient pharmacy locations. If you’re interested in learning more about flu shots or would like to schedule your vaccine appointment, please stop by or reach out to us today! We look forward to seeing you soon!
