Don’t get Sick with Influenza This Year!
As we head into the influenza season, it’s important to understand that getting immunized each year is the best way to prevent the "flu", for yourself and for others you come in contact with. It’s necessary to get your flu shot every year, since the predominant viruses circulating can change from year to year, and each year’s vaccine is produced once the strains most likely to be present are identified.
Contrary to rumors you may have heard, you cannot get the flu from a flu shot, because the viruses used in the immunization have been killed. About 2 weeks after vaccination, antibodies develop in the body in sufficient quantities to provide you with protection against live influenza viruses.
If enough people get immunized, there will be less "flu" circulating in the general population, and this will improve safety for those that are too young or have other reasons why they cannot get immunized.
Ask your health care provider if the influenza immunization is right for you. Influenza immunizations are available now at Harvard University Health Services.
Here are other steps you and your family can take to stay healthy this winter.
Perhaps the simplest and most effective way to keep from getting ill is to wash your hands often with regular soap (antibacterial soap is not necessary) and warm water. Rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces. Wash for at least 20 seconds. (Tip: have your children sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice while washing.) It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove the virus from your hands.
When soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using a gel, rub the gel in your hands until they are dry. The alcohol in the gel kills germs that cause colds and the flu, and alcohol hand sanitizers do not contribute to antibiotic resistance. On the down side, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers do not remove dirt.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Viruses can be introduced into the body when people touch something that is contaminated with the pathogen, and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth. Influenza viruses can live on environmental surfaces for varying lengths of time, and studies show that this varies from a few minutes to several hours depending on the type of surface.
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing. Viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs cause illnesses such as influenza. The flu usually spreads from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes and the droplets from the cough or sneeze move through the air and are deposited on the mucous membranes of the mouth or nose of people nearby, or on surfaces that others touch. So, always cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. Then, wash your hands. Cough or sneeze into the inside of a clothing-covered elbow if you do not have a tissue. Remember, even a small cough or sneeze can propel germs toward others. It’s a good idea to practice this technique so that you remember to do it!
Lastly, if you feel ill, stay home from work and keep sick kids home from school or daycare. If one person with a bad cold or influenza goes to work, it can result in many additional sick days for co-workers, students and others.
