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It doesn’t seem like that long since the last flu season, but here we are again! The absolute best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated and keep up with your vaccinations each year before the flu season kicks in. However, there are other important steps you can take to protect yourself, your family, your co-workers, and others from the germs that cause flu. 

  1. Avoid Close Contact

Do your best to avoid getting close to people who are sick. If you are the one who is sick, be considerate by keeping your distance from others. 

  1. Stay Home

When you are sick, it’s best to stay indoors as much as possible. Don’t go to work or school and get a family member to run errands for you. If you start to feel ill while at work, go home as soon as possible.

  1. Cover Your Nose and Mouth

When you feel a cough or a sneeze coming on, pull out a tissue and cover your mouth and nose.  Or perfect the elbow technique – when you cough or sneeze cover your face with your entire elbow. This way, germs can’t find a home on your bare hands. And, it’s easy to teach your kids how to do this. 

  1. Clean Your Hands

Wash your hands often, especially after visits to the bathroom. Carry some germicidal hand wipes or a small bottle of hand sanitizer around with you for when soap and water aren’t handy.

  1. Avoid Contact with Your Nose, Mouth, or Eyes

You don’t know when something you have touched is contaminated with germs because you can’t see them. Therefore, it’s best to keep your hands away from your nose, mouth, and eyes. 

  1. Pay Attention to Other Good Health Habits

Other ways to stay healthy include thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that are frequently touched in the home and at work or school, especially when someone is sick. Also important are: getting plenty of sleep, keeping physically active, managing stress levels, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious foods.

Protecting Your Child from Flu at School

Find out if your child’s care program, school, or college has a plan to cope with an outbreak of flu or any other illness. Also, ask if flu vaccinations are offered on-site. Make sure your child is in an environment where good hygiene is routinely practiced. 

Protection from Flu at Work

Enquire if your employer has a plan in place in the event of an outbreak of flu and whether flu vaccinations are available at work. Check that frequently touched objects and surfaces, including keyboards, phones, and doorknobs, are routinely cleaned and disinfected. Ensure that your workplace is well supplied with soap, paper towels, tissues, disposable wipes, etc.

Don’t Take the Flu Lightly

Never take the attitude of oh, it’s only the flu. Each flu season, millions of people suffer from the flu. It’s true that the flu only produces mild symptoms for some individuals. However, for certain members of the population flu can be very serious and even deadly. Children are at risk because their immune systems are still developing. Flu can also be more serious for seniors, especially if they already have health problems. At MedTrust, we want you to take the flu season seriously and take every precaution to prevent getting sick.