Flu is a viral infection that occurs due to the influenza virus. It is a contagious disease that spreads from one person to another through respiratory droplets. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, they can transmit it to other healthy people. The most important step for flu prevention is to get yourself, and your family members vaccinated each year. However, you can get flu even after being vaccinated. Before getting the vaccination, tell the complete history to your healthcare provider as you can not get it if your immune system is suppressed or you take cancer medications.
In this article, we will tell you the tips that can help protect you from the flu. If you have any symptoms of flu, you should visit the Pulmonologist in Lahore.
What are The Symptoms of Flu?
The symptoms of flu may vary according to the severity. The common sign and symptoms of flu are:
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Muscle ache
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Sometimes it can also cause increased heart rate, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Flu
To protect yourself from flu, you can exercise the following tips:
Vaccination
The most important and effective way to protect yourself against the flu is to get a yearly flu shot. Do not delay and get as scheduled. But if you have a fever or other signs of infection, you can delay getting the vaccination. You can consult with your healthcare provider before getting it. After the vaccination, you may have mild symptoms of flu such as fever and body aches, but that is fine. You can take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Avoid close contact
If someone has got the flu, try staying away from them. Staying in close contact with people having the flu can transmit the infection to you too. It happens because flu is contagious and can spread through respiratory droplets.
Stay home during infection
When you have symptoms of flu, it is a good approach to stay at home. When you go out during an infectious phase, you may end up transmitting the germs to other people. Therefore it is good to stay at home and get plenty of rest. Over-exerting yourself can also make recovery difficult for you.
Cover your nose and mouth
When you cough, cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper. If you do not have anything to cover up your mouth, you can use your elbow to cough and sneeze. This technique can help prevent the spread of germs and eventually infection to other people.
Clean your hands
You use your hands to touch various surfaces and then touch your nose and face with them. In this way, they can become a medium of transmitting germs from surfaces to your body. Therefore you should make a habit of cleaning your hands frequently. For that, you can:
- Wash them with antibacterial soap and running water for at least 40 seconds.
- Or
- Sanitize them with an alcohol-based sanitizer.
Keeping your hands clean is an essential thing to ensure infection prevention. Therefore you should make a habit of keeping them clean. Wash your hands, especially when you come back home from outside or after visiting a person who has got the flu or when coming back from the hospital.
Practice other tips
If someone in the home has got the flu, do not share utensils or any other personal items with them. Ask them to do plenty of rest to recover soon. To keep yourself and your family protected, eat nutritious food and do daily physical activity. If anyone in your family has got flu, you can take them to the Pulmonologist in Islamabad.