It’s something everyone dreads with the arrival of fall: flu season. Absolutely nobody wants to catch the flu; even a mild case can make the victim feel completely miserable. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to avoid catching the flu, provided you take the proper precautions. This article will take a look at four ways you can avoid catching the flu when flu season rolls around.
- Get the Annual Flu Shot: The first and most important way you can avoid catching the flu is to get the annual flu shot once it is available. This cannot be emphasized enough: promptly getting the flu shot will dramatically reduce the chance of catching the flu. The flu shot can be administered by a primary care doctor, at the urgent care center, even the local pharmacy will typically offer the flu shot. With all of these options for getting the shot, there’s no reasonable excuse for not getting the flu shot.
- Wash Your Hands Often: Another way to avoid catching the flu is to wash your hands frequently. We’re already supposed to wash our hands several times a day under normal circumstances, but during flu season we should wash our hands more frequently, especially if contact with someone infected with the flu virus is suspected. Washing your hands, as we all know, is a great way to kill off germs, and make it less likely that you’ll contract the flu virus.
- Avoid Those Who Are Already Sick: A third way to avoid catching the flu is to do your best to avoid those who are already sick. This would include avoiding going to the urgent care center during peak flu season unless it is absolutely necessary to go there. And if you do have to go there, make sure to wear a surgical mask to avoid breathing in germs from infected individuals. Avoiding those who are already sick, when possible, can go a long way toward reducing the chance of catching the virus yourself.
- Visit Medical Professionals When Symptoms Begin: And finally, a fourth way to avoid catching the full-blown flu is to visit medical professionals at the urgent care center when symptoms begin. If you visit the doctor as soon as flu symptoms start, you’ll have a better chance of getting medicine to head off the worst of the flu symptoms.
In conclusion, there are a number of things that can be done to avoid catching the flu. These include: getting the annual flu shot, washing your hands as often as possible, avoiding those who are already sick, and visiting medical professionals when symptoms begin. By following all of these tips, the odds are good that you’ll be able to avoid getting the dreaded flu.