Urgent care centers see thousands of patients every single day, providing quality healthcare to everyone who comes through the door. The top five medical diagnoses given in urgent care centers during 2016 were acute upper respiratory infections, acute sinusitis, acute pharyngitis, cough, and fever. Many of these symptoms and diagnoses are also connected to the flu, which sweeps the country every year in an event known as the flu season. Healthcare professionals recommend a number of ways to avoid catching the flu, and this article will take a look at a few of them.
- Get the Annual Flu Shot: One way to avoid catching the flu is to receive the annual flu shot. Healthcare professionals around the world agree that this is one of the best ways to avoid the flu, since the shot can provide anywhere from partial to full immunization against whichever strain of the flu virus is running rampant that year. The shot is available at urgent care centers, doctor’s offices, and pharmacy clinics all around the country, and should be taken no matter what, because even partial protection is better than none at all.
- Frequently Wash Your Hands : Another way to avoid catching the flu is to wash your hands as frequently as possible. As a general rule, we should be washing our hands several times a day already. However, during flu season, washing your hands with antibacterial soap has the added benefit of eliminating most of the flu germs you might come into contact with on a daily basis, which in turn will reduce your chances of contracting the virus.
- See the Doctor When Symptoms Appear: A third way to avoid catching the flu is to promptly see the doctor when symptoms begin to appear. Even if you’ve already contracted the virus, if you see the doctor promptly, there’s still a chance you can receive treatment in time to prevent the virus from hitting you as hard as it might if you didn’t receive treatment at all. While you still might get sick, it won’t be as bad as it could have been since you’ll have medicine working in your system.
- Avoid Those Who Are Already Sick: And finally, a fourth way to avoid catching the flu is to avoid physical contact with those who are already sick. This can be difficult at times, since it’s not always easy to tell who is sick and who is not. However, as a general rule, if you take note of who is sniffling, sneezing, or coughing, and avoid physical contact with them whenever possible, you’ll be doing your best to avoid the flu germs they’re carrying, which in turn will help you avoid getting sick yourself.
In conclusion, there are a number of ways you can avoid catching the flu. These ways include getting the annual flu shot, frequently washing your hands, seeing the doctor when symptoms appear, and avoiding those who are already sick. These are just a few of the tips you can use to avoid catching the flu each year.