Seasonal Sickness

How to avoid the flu and other viral infection under weather conditions where you are experiencing all 4 seasons in 1 week

1. Good Hand Washing. I’m sure at some point we have all heard “hand washing breaks the chain of infection.” This remains true. Washing hands often with soap and water for 10- 20 seconds will greatly decrease chances of spreading contact of microorganisms.

2. No Contact Rule. While we love to hug and show compassion through touch, it is essential that we avoid close contact with individuals who are known to be sick. If we want to be successful in maintaining a healthy status, we must keep our distance!
3. Isolate the Infected. Everyone loves family time, right! However, household members who are sick should be “Quarantined”, meaning isolated living quarters that inhabit only a small area of living space not visited by other household members (such as a bedroom). This will ensure that no one shares items or space with the infected member—microorganisms can invade the healthy member fairly quickly.
4. Spray Away! Be sure to use disinfectant in areas occupied by those who may be ill.
5. Prompt Treatment. Lastly to all my seasonal and perennial allergy affected friends, keep allergies under control at the first sign of flare up (sneezing, watery, itchy eyes, itchy nose, etc.) by using an antihistamine and/or nasal steroid. Some go-to products include: Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra for allergies and Rhinocort or Flonase for nasal congestion. In controlling allergies, we are better able to eliminate Sinus Infections—and that’s a headache everyone prefers to avoid!

Kimaka Bowens, MSN, APRN, FNP-C”