5 Ways to prevent catching colds/flu

Freddy facts of the week:

It happens every year, and it’s not always in winter. No I’m not talking about snow (although sometimes in Canada that’s true!) I’m talking about colds and the flu. Chances are we’ve all come in contact with a customer, coworker, loved one who shows symptoms of something amiss. Here’s what to do when you see this happen around you:

1. Disinfect all surfaces and materials

Cold and flu viruses can live on hard surfaces up to 16hrs and fabric up to 12hrs. It is important to wash clothing, bed linens, and sanitize surfaces with a sterilizing product such as: lysol, windex, bleach, vinegar.

2. Don’t touch your face

If someone coughs on you, don’t fret, unless they coughed or sneezed directly into your eyes, nose or mouth, there’s little to no risk of contagion. However, if your hands touch mucus anywhere and then you scratch your eye, itch your nose, or wipe your lips, the virus or bacteria can travel in the mucus membrane, thus rendering you potentially ill especially if you don’t already have the antibodies for this particular pathogen.

3. Avoid close contact with infected persons

Often times viruses will spread through households due to one person being sick and the rest catching it. If the person is your partner, avoid close contact. If it’s your child contact is probably necessary, just make sure you sanitize everything they touch and try to keep your face out of the sneezes and coughs if you can.

4. Get your vitamins

Lacking nutrition can lower your immune system making it much harder to fight the bacterial war that can be waged against us. If you don’t eat a balanced diet then at least consume a multivitamin daily.

5. Remain hydrated

There’s never an end to the benefits of water. In this case, your immune system is essentially in your blood. White blood cells are responsible for identifying, then tackling viruses and bacteria, and afterward cataloging their appearance along with an arsenal of antibodies to ensure we don’t get sick from that one again. Blood needs water to transport itself efficiently throughout the system and ensure our immune response isn’t delayed. So drink up!

Here’s hoping you can all avoid that dreadful cold onset.

Photo by Andras Schram