Vim & Vigor - Fall 2020 - GMC - 41

41

quickly on average and have a
much lower rate of hospitalization
because of serious complications,
he says. And pregnant women who
get vaccinated give birth to children
who are less likely to get the flu.
With that in mind, here are four
strategies to avoid the sniffles, shivers and misery of flu-and No. 2
and No. 3 will help protect you from
the COVID-19 virus, too.
1

Again: Get your entire
family vaccinated.

Children as young as 6 months old
can be vaccinated, but only about
60 percent of children in the U.S.
get the flu shot each year.
"Children are incredible spreaders of illness," Schaffner says. "Their
cough and hand hygiene is not
great, and they won't hesitate to
grab you around the neck and give
you a big slobbery kiss."
Immunization in families and the
community is especially important
to protect those who can't get the
flu shot, including newborns.

PHOTO CREDIT

2

Keep your hands clean.

The coronavirus pandemic
has taught us all the importance
of hand hygiene. Those habits
will help keep us safe from the flu,
too. No matter what time of year,
make sure to wash your hands
often, with soap and water, for at
least 20 seconds. It's a good idea to
carry a small bottle of 60 percent
alcohol-based disinfecting hand
gel for when you don't have access
to soap and water.
Also: Retire handshakes. Try
an elbow bump or a friendly
wave instead.

3

Make Flu
Prevention
Fun for Kids

If you have small children in
your life, especially ones in
school or day care, you might
be inviting flu germs through
the door every time the kids
come home, says Howard
Ellis, MD, a pediatrician at
Northside Hospital's Mason
Pediatrics. Here are some tips
to help teach kids to be better flu fighters.
Model good flu hygiene. If
you don't cover your mouth
and nose with your sleeve
(and not your hands) when
you cough and sneeze, your
children won't either. Lead
by example.
Reinforce good cough
coverage with praise.
Children are not always going
to remember to use their
sleeve to cover their cough-
and that's OK. But when they
do cover their cough, reward
them by recognizing it and
thanking them.
Make a game out of covering a cough. One suggestion,
from the Boston Children's
Museum, is cutting the toe off
an old sock to create a "Germ
Eating Monster." Your child
can decorate the "monster"
with a big mouth for catching
coughs and sneezes and then
wear it on his or her sleeve.

Give viruses
nowhere to hide.

Most often, the flu is spread from
person to person through droplets that come from the nose and
mouth when someone with the flu
coughs, sneezes or talks. Another
way to contract the flu is by touching a contaminated surface and
then touching your eyes, nose or
mouth, Schaffner says. (These are,
of course, the same two ways the
COVID-19 virus is spread.)
That's why regularly cleaning
commonly touched surfaces, such
as doorknobs and refrigerator
door handles, is so important.
Schaffner recommends keeping
disinfectant wipes handy during
flu season.

If you do get sick with
the flu, ask your doctor
about antiviral medication.
4

These drugs, available only by a
doctor's prescription, can reduce
the duration of the flu and cut
down on how long you are
contagious. This is even more
important for people who are at a
greater risk of serious flu complications such as pneumonia, which
includes the elderly and people
with asthma, diabetes or chronic
heart disease. *

Need to See
a Doctor?

The network of expert physicians
at Northside Hospital can help
you get healthy and stay that way.
Visit mydoctor.northside.com to
find a provider near you.

VIM & VIGOR FALL 2020
http://mydoctor.northside.com
Vim & Vigor - Fall 2020 - GMC

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