Tips on Preventing Colds and Flu
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Tips on Preventing Colds and Flu
- Wash Your Hands - Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct
contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then
touches other objects. The germs can live for hours only to be picked
up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands
often. If no sink is available, rub your hands together very hard for a
minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold germs.
- Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands - Because
germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes
with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. When you
feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away
immediately. If you don't have a tissue, turn your head away from
people near you and cough into the air.
-
Don't Touch Your Face - Cold and flu viruses enter your body
through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way
children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.
-
Drink Plenty of Fluids - Water flushes your system and rehydrates you.
-
Get Fresh Air - A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially in cold weather when central heating dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people stay indoors, which means more germs are circulating in crowded, dry rooms.
- Wash Your Hands - Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches other objects. The germs can live for hours only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So wash your hands often. If no sink is available, rub your hands together very hard for a minute or so. That also helps break up most of the cold germs.
- Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands - Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, turn your head away from people near you and cough into the air.
- Don't Touch Your Face - Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.
-
Drink Plenty of Fluids - Water flushes your system and rehydrates you.
-
Get Fresh Air - A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially in cold weather when central heating dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people stay indoors, which means more germs are circulating in crowded, dry rooms.