5 Ways to Prevent Swine Flu Infection

With the official flu season approaching, concerns are rising that there will be a strong resurgence of swine flu. Although much of what can be done to prevent swine flu is common sense to most people, many can brush up on a few reminders that will help lessen the chance that themselves or their families will become sick this flu season.

1. Use Hand Washing and Hand Sanitizer.

Good hand hygiene is the most important action you can take to preventing the spread of swine flu or any disease. Wash your hands often throughout the day, even if you think they are clean. Be sure that you and your loved ones are carrying hand sanitizer to work and school everyday. Even though you use hand sanitizer, you should still wash your hands every 4-6 uses. Also, keep your hands moisturized to prevent cracking of the skin.

2. Cover Your Mouth and Nose.

When you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose to contain your germs. After every cough and sneeze, use hand sanitizer or wash your hands, even if you use a tissue.

3. Avoid Touching the Eyes, Nose, and Mouth.

Germs can spread quickly at the eyes, nose, and mouth. Also, they serve as easy portals of entry for infectious agents. These places harbor germs, so if you touch these areas, then you will get the germs on your hands. In turn, these germs will get on objects you touch.

4. Disinfect Frequently Touched Objects.

Think of items people always use. To prevent the spread of swine flu, you should be cleaning objects such as door knobs, telephones, keyboards, etc.. This will prevent you and others from indirectly passing the flu or any germs from the home to the much more populated work places and schools.

5. Get Vaccinated.

Be sure to get both the flu shot and the swine flu shot when it is available. Getting one shot and not the other is not ideal due to the fact that you will be left susceptible to the strains of flu that were you were not vaccinated against. If you do happen to get sick, your immune system will be a bit suppressed because it is fighting infection. This will leave you open for attack by any other virus or bacteria. Remember, there is more than one strain of swine flu.

Also, if you are part of the high-risk population for the flu, you should get vaccinated for pneumonia if you have not already done so. In severe cases of the flu, including the swine flu, secondary pneumonia infection has been the cause of hospitalizations and deaths. Consult with your doctor to see if you should receive this vaccine. High-risks populations include people over the age of 65 and immuno-suppressed patients.

Remember to keep prevention of swine flu and any flu into focus this year. Also, remember that the cold weather is not the direct cause of the spread of any flu. It is the close contact people encounter with others during the cold weather months. Do yourself, your family, and the rest of the public a favor and be diligent about incorporating these prevention strategies in your everyday life.