FLU PREVENTION TIPS

People should always practice good health hygiene, but it is particularly important now with flu circulating.

Dr. Andi Shane, medical director of hospital epidemiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, provided key strategies for flu prevention:

Get the flu shot. Hospitals and clinics are seeing higher rates of flu infection, but it’s still not too late to get a flu vaccine. Even if a flu vaccine does not completely protect you or your family from having the flu, people who get flu shots tend to experience fewer days of symptoms, less severe symptoms and are less likely to need medical care. Hand hygiene should be practiced by

everyone. Wash your hands, and your children’s hands, frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing. You can also use an alcohol-based sanitizer to keep hands clean. Cover your cough and sneezes with the inside of your elbow or a tissue that is then discarded. Sneezing into the inside of your elbow or a tissue reduces the chances those droplets (those tiny drops from a sick person) will fly out when you cough or sneeze and land on the mouths or noses of people nearby.

Stay home when sick. To reduce the spread of flu infections in the community, stay home from work or school when ill. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after a fever is gone (except to get medical care or other necessities). The fever should be gone for at least 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol.

Take care of yourself. To help your immune system be in good enough shape to fight off the flu and other germs, eat a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep and exercise.