Spread Cheer, Not the Flu, Throughout the Winter--Put Health First this Season by Getting a Flu Shot

Posted: Monday, December 17, 2012 5:44 am

Spread Cheer, Not the Flu, Throughout the Winter--Put Health First this Season by Getting a Flu Shot By NAPS,
North American Precis Syndicate sedaliademocrat.com

(NAPSI)—The winter season with its many holidays is an important time for families to get together and share traditions among generations. Unfortunately, too often it is also a time to share colds and flu. While hygiene measures, such as covering coughs and sneezes, washing and disinfecting hands and frequently touched surfaces, and limiting contact with others when sick, can help reduce the spread of respiratory illness, when it comes to the flu, the best way to avoid infection is to get a flu shot.

Influenza viruses spread easily from person to person in droplets created when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk—from as far as 6 feet away. In addition, when people get the flu, they can pass the virus on to someone else before they even know they are sick. Flu symptoms typically don’t appear until one to four days after the virus enters the body. During this time, people may still spread the virus to others.