8 Ways to Stay Healthy During Flu Season

 We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things.
Hebrews 10:24

Thoughtful, encouraging and helpful are all attributes each member of a healthy and growing family strives for, whether our immediate family or our church family.  These attributes become significantly important during the flu season.

It’s fall, which means the flu season has begun, at the same time we are in the middle of the Enterovirus season, a virus that can cause mild to severe respiratory illness.  We want everyone to enjoy great health during the fall and winter season.  So we want to remind everyone that there are everyday preventive actions each of us can take to stop the spread of germs that carry either a virus or the flu.  The following actions are all recommended by the CDC and have been proven effective in keeping illness from spreading.

1. Avoid close contact with sick people.
2. If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
3. While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.
4. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
5. Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
6. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
7. Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.
8. Boost your immune system.  Here are 6 Immune system busters and boosters.

Let’s encourage each other to be thoughtful and helpful during the flu season so we can all enjoy healthy and productive families.