Be cool - avoid the cold
CREDIT: STOCK PHOTODon’t be a Flu-ey Franny - take steps to avoid illness during this sickly season.
Winter is upon us, which means we have the perennial pleasure of dealing with terrible temperatures, slippery sidewalks, and blustery blizzards. For some it's a burden, for others it's a blessing in disguise. It gives people a reason to wear that $400 Canada Goose jacket and grab a toboggan, skis or a snowboard and seek some thrills on the hills.
But one thing that isn't fun when the weather is below zero is catching the cold virus, the flu, or God forbid, pneumonia.
Tristan Squire-Smith is manager of the Infectious Disease Control team at the Middlesex-London Health Unit. He said that everything you may have learned about avoiding getting and transmitting the cold back in elementary school shouldn't be forgotten.
“[There are] really simple things that anyone can do to keep themselves healthy, whether it's from the flu, stomach bugs, or the common cold, is really just washing your hands,” Squire-Smith said. “The other thing too is observing good hygiene in terms of coughing and sneezing. I think we all grew up coughing and sneezing into our hands, when in fact we're not encouraging people to do that. We're asking people to cough into their sleeve.”
The one good thing about contracting the common cold (there's one that exists?), is that it's easy to tell if you've contracted it, and not the flu. The difference between the two is indeed white and black, so knowing the symptoms of each could save you from worrying if you need to totally shut out the outside world because you've gotten influenza.
“I think we can all relate to having had colds. You know, sniffles, sneezing, maybe a cough. Influenza — or commonly known as the flu — is much more different, because it's much more severe. So if you've had the flu, you know it. Having the flu is typically highlighted with severe symptoms such as a higher fever, fatigue and muscle aches, and just being incapable of doing anything. When you've had the flu, it feels like you've been hit by a truck.”
When asked if getting the flu shot gives you the flu, which seems to be a common belief, Squire- Smith was quick to dismiss the notion. “It is a myth,” he stated. “You can't catch the flu from the flu shot. The flu shot is absolutely a safe vaccine, there's no live virus in the flu shot. And the flu shot remains the best defense from getting the flu.”
Wintertime can be curse and a blessing. Although it gives to the holiday season, it also marks the start of the flu season, so it's important to defend yourself. For a schedule of flu shot clinics by the Middlesex-London Health Unit, visit healthunit.com.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit website offers these tips for reducing your risk of illness:
Clean your hands with soap or alcohol- based sanitizer: This is the most important thing you can do to prevent illness. Hands should be cleaned after handling tissues, blowing your nose, shaking hands, touching objects around you and before preparing and eating food.
Clean surfaces: Frequently clean and disinfect surfaces that are touched a lot like doorknobs, keyboards, counter tops, sink taps, etc.
Cover your cough: Coughing and sneezing can spread germs to others. Cough or sneeze into a tissue and throw it away. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Always clean your hands after coughing or sneezing.
Stay home if you feel sick: Sick people who go to work, school and other public places can spread their illnesses to others. Staying home when you are ill is important to help reduce the spread of influenza. You can return to work or school one day after you are symptom free.
