Trying Not to Get Sick?
Jan. 19th, 2018 10:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charisstomaTrying Not to Get Sick? Science Says You’re Probably Doing It Wrong
Cold and flu viruses transfer in very different ways than we think
It’s that time of year again: coughing, wheezy, sticky people all around you, and that dread in the pit of your stomach that you’re about to get sick. What do you do? Conventional wisdom says that to avoid spreading colds or the flu, you should wash your hands frequently—ideally using antibacterial soap—and cover your mouth when you cough.
But it turns out that sometimes, conventional wisdom is just wrong (sorry about that, mom!). We pored through scientific studies and talked to medical experts to find that some of these oft-repeated tips don’t tell the whole story—while others might actually be harmful. Here’s the truth about colds and the flu. (Spoiler: You should still cover your mouth when you cough.*)
*A face mask is good to protect others from your germs if you're sick.
So how do you really avoid getting sick this season? "Avoid people who are sick," he says. "Especially kids … I call them germbags. Don't be a schoolteacher, don't be a pediatrician, don't be a grandparent." Easy enough, right? Oh, and get a flu shot. In a good season, it's about 70 percent effective at preventing flu; even if you're not the type to get sick, it may prevent you from carrying viruses and passing them on to another person, Swartzberg says.
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/theres-more-to-fighting-flu-covering-your-mouth-180961404/#gAkDDHJqJsy7BFyi.99
Am not a teacher.... but just about the same as far as exposure and also am a grandparent who just happens to have a grandchild sick with the flu. Haven't visited for several weeks so that last exposure risk doesn't apply. btw If you didn't hear it yet, the current year's flu shot is mainly ineffective against what is causing the latest flu outbreak.
Cold and flu viruses transfer in very different ways than we think
It’s that time of year again: coughing, wheezy, sticky people all around you, and that dread in the pit of your stomach that you’re about to get sick. What do you do? Conventional wisdom says that to avoid spreading colds or the flu, you should wash your hands frequently—ideally using antibacterial soap—and cover your mouth when you cough.
But it turns out that sometimes, conventional wisdom is just wrong (sorry about that, mom!). We pored through scientific studies and talked to medical experts to find that some of these oft-repeated tips don’t tell the whole story—while others might actually be harmful. Here’s the truth about colds and the flu. (Spoiler: You should still cover your mouth when you cough.*)
*A face mask is good to protect others from your germs if you're sick.
So how do you really avoid getting sick this season? "Avoid people who are sick," he says. "Especially kids … I call them germbags. Don't be a schoolteacher, don't be a pediatrician, don't be a grandparent." Easy enough, right? Oh, and get a flu shot. In a good season, it's about 70 percent effective at preventing flu; even if you're not the type to get sick, it may prevent you from carrying viruses and passing them on to another person, Swartzberg says.
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/theres-more-to-fighting-flu-covering-your-mouth-180961404/#gAkDDHJqJsy7BFyi.99
Am not a teacher.... but just about the same as far as exposure and also am a grandparent who just happens to have a grandchild sick with the flu. Haven't visited for several weeks so that last exposure risk doesn't apply. btw If you didn't hear it yet, the current year's flu shot is mainly ineffective against what is causing the latest flu outbreak.
