Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing to help prevent those around you from getting sick. If you do not have a tissue, then cough or sneeze into your elbow. Click here to watch an instructional video on cough etiquette.
Take these basic measures to help protect yourself and those around you this flu season.
Vaccine
Vaccination is the best way to protect against the flu. This flu season, you should receive 2 different flu vaccines because seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu vaccines protect against different flu viruses. Vaccination is especially important for people at high risk of serious flu complications. Flu vaccination is also critical for health care personnel and other people who live with or care for high risk people to prevent them from getting sick. Click here for information on where to get flu vaccines
Cover your cough
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing to help prevent those around you from getting sick. If you do not have a tissue, then cough or sneeze into your elbow. Click here to watch an instructional video on cough etiquette.
Wash your hands
Wash your hands often. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing your hands thoroughly with clean, warm running water and soap for 20 seconds, or the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if hand-washing is not an option. Click here for more hand-washing etiquette.
Stay home
When you are ill, stay home from work and school and postpone errands, if possible, to help prevent others from catching your illness. The CDC recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of a fever-reducing medication.
Social distancing
Avoid close contact with people who are sick, and keep your distance from others when you are sick. The CDC recommends 6 feet apart. Limit contact with crowds and avoid crowded places. If you cannot avoid those places, protect others by wearing a facemask, if available and tolerable.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
Germs are often spread when you touch something that is contaminated with germs and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
Practice other good health habits
Be sure to get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat healthy balanced meals.
Take flu antiviral medication
Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. This season, the recommendation is to use antiviral drugs to treat people who are very sick (hospitalized) and people who are sick with flu-like symptoms who are at an increased risk of serious flu complications. Most people have been able to recover at home from 2009 H1N1 and seasonal flu without needing medical care. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within the first 2 days of symptoms. You must consult your doctor before using them.