Don’t help fuel another pandemic!

Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands regularly (rub for 20 secs) with soap and water. And, try not to touch your face, especially your eyes and mouth. It’s that simple. And, that is in the best of times.

Did you hear the joke about the germ? Nevermind, I don’t want to spread it around.

According to the CDC, if everyone washed their hands routinely a million deaths could be prevented each year. A single cough can expel as much as 3,000 droplets at 50 mph and sneezing as much as 40,000 droplets at 200 mph and once airborne, viruses can survive for many hours. According to the Mayo Clinic, “viruses generally remain active longer on stainless steel, plastic and similar hard surfaces than on fabric and other soft surfaces. Other factors, such as the amount of virus deposited on a surface and the temperature and humidity of the environment, also determine how long cold and flu viruses stay active outside the body.”

Part two of this story is what to do when you are sick. STAY HOME!. The CDC recommends people stay home if they are sick, “until at least 24 hours after their fever* (temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher) is gone. Temperature should be measured without the use of fever-reducing medicines (medicines that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen).” When you have the flu, you are most contagious during the first 3 days of your illness. If you become sick at work, separate yourself from your co-workers and go home!

And, part three is get a flu shot every year. The flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses each year. CDC cites the 2017-2018 flu season as an example. That year, “the flu vaccination prevented an estimated 6.2 million influenza illnesses, 3.2 million influenza-associated medical visits, 91,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 5,700 influenza-associated deaths. During seasons when the flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent.”

So… in a nutshell, cover your mouth, wash your hands, when sick stay home and get the annual flu shot. It’s that easy.