Influenza.info: How to prevent the flu

How to prevent it

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. This is also true for influenza. The prevention of influenza, but this applies also to other diseases, always starts with healthy life habits that reinforce your body's natural defense mechanism. So, number one...

		1. Take care of your immune system.

		To prevent the flu and avoid the complications in case you get it, it's essential to mantain a strong immune system. To do that, you need to eat properly (especially avoid sugar, alchool and fatty foods), drink plenty of fluids, take proper rest and practice regular phisycal exercise.

		2. Avoid close contact.

		Avoid close contact with people who are sick. The influenza virus spreads by contagion and it can reach others up to 6 ft. away, through cough and sneezes.

		3. Wash you hands.

		Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

		4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

		Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Vaccination

Secondly, it is possible to get vaccinated against influenza. The vaccination is process consisting in the inoculation of a weakened form of the virus so to prepare the immune system to defend the body against the virus.

However, due to the high mutability of the influenza virus a particular vaccine formulation usually only works for about a year. The vaccine is usually recommended for anyone in a high-risk group who would be likely to suffer complications from influenza.

The World Health Organization co-ordinates the contents of the vaccine each year to contain the most likely strains of the virus to attack the next year.