Flu season is a time of year that is generally dreaded by all. It’s a period of time during the fall and winter months when various strains of the influenza virus move across the United States, leading to a sharp rise in the number of flu cases. While the strain of flu that sweeps the country changes every year, there are things that can be done to help you avoid the flu for the duration of flu season. This article will take a look at several tips for avoiding the flu during flu season.
- Get the Annual Flu Shot: One tip for avoiding the flu is to get the annual flu shot. Each year, medical professionals determine which strain of the flu will be most prominent, and create a flu shot that will work best against that strain. While it’s not a perfect solution, getting the annual flu shot can greatly reduce your chances of getting the flu. The flu shot can be administered at urgent care centers, pharmacies, and doctor’s offices, just to name a few examples.
- Visit Urgent Care Centers When Symptoms Appear: Another tip for avoiding the flu is to visit local urgent care centers when symptoms appear. If you’re seen by a doctor quickly enough, you might be able to avoid a full-blown case of the flu, though this isn’t always possible depending on how long you’ve been exposed to the virus. Symptoms appear within the first week of exposure, and once they appear it’s important to go see the doctor at urgent care right away.
- Wash Your Hands Regularly With Antibacterial Soap: A third tip for avoiding the flu is to wash your hands on a regular basis with antibacterial soap. We’re supposed to wash our hands on a regular basis anyhow, but doing it as often as possible with antibacterial soap can kill most of the germs you come into contact with, and can make it harder to catch the flu in that way.
- Get Plenty of Rest Each Day: And finally, a fourth tip for avoiding the flu is to get plenty of rest each day. By remaining well rested with at least 8 hours of sleep every night, your immune system will remain strong and will be able to better repel the flu virus when it tries to get into the body. Rest and a healthy diet can be very good for the body.
In conclusion, there are several tips that can help you avoid the flu during flu season. These tips include: getting the annual flu shot, visiting urgent care centers when symptoms appear, washing your hands regularly with antibacterial soap, and getting plenty of rest each day. These are just a few of the tips you can follow to avoid catching the flu.