By: Mari Gold
According to the Centers for Disease Control, an early flu season is underway in 2012. If youwant to spend the upcoming holidays enjoying family, friends, and seasonal activities rather than being sick, here are several simple steps to protect yourself.
• Get a yearly flu vaccination. The CDC recommends this for everyone older than six months. To find flu shot location near you, log onto http://flushot.healthmap.org. If you haven’t already had this year’s vaccination, now is the time.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth to avoid spreading germs. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Wear a facemask to reduce your risk of getting sick, and if you are sick wear one to keep from infecting others. BioMask is a new kind of facemask that is shown to inactivate 99.99 percent of tested flu viruses within five minutes.
Don’t become a flu statistic. Protect yourself and stay healthy.