THIS IS AN OPINION PIECE
Huntsville, AL – Most of us are aware of the news coverage over Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but what about other common illnesses like the flu; do you feel prepared to protect yourself from anything nature has to offer?
The most important thing that can be done is hand hygiene. This means washing your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds. Sing to yourself, or out loud, your ABCs or Happy Birthday. These are two songs that are used by health care personnel to get accustomed to washing hands for the proper amount of time.
An alternative to soap and water, hand sanitizer. This is not as effective as hand washing, but when you can’t get to a bathroom or do not feel like singing it is a great alternative. Be sure you fully rub in the sanitizer though, do not fan your hands around that will just catch more germs.
Please, cover your mouth! Did you know that a cough or sneeze can project microorganisms up to six feet away? These types of viruses are transferable by droplet. Droplets indicating the spit that sprays form your mouth and nose. When you need to cough or sneeze, use the bend of your elbow or a tissue and be sure to throw the tissue away after. Then wash your hands.
Avoid touching your face. Most people touch their face an average of 20 times per hour. This includes the nose, mouth, eyes and chin. You may not realize you are doing it, but this transfers anything on your hands to your face, and anything on your face to your hands. If you can control your face touching, you can reduce the likely hood of contracting some viruses.
Have a fever, stay home. Fever is an indication your body has kicked its immune system into over-dive to fight of something foreign, you know like a virus. If you have a fever you are contagious. Be sure to stay home, don’t go out shopping, to school, or community events, the more people you are around the faster a virus can spread.
Visit your doctor when you need to. Start off with your family doctor not the emergency room. Flu is uncomfortable and the body aches can make you feel like you are dying, however your family doctor can typically get you taken care of faster that the emergency room. I am not saying do not go there if you need to but remember an emergency room is packed with people. As stated before, try not to go to location where there are a lot of people to spread what you have.
Finally, take your medication as you are told to. There is a reason the doctor gave you what they did, and a duration of time to take it. This is to ensure that whatever it is you have can be taken care of as quickly as possible and reduce the chance for it to spread. If it’s a week worth of medications taken once a day, take it just as it says! Starting a medication and then stopping when you “feel better” could cause a mutation and/or resistant strain of that infection going forward. Let’s not create more illness, instead let’s stop the ones we have!