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Residents
Every person can reduce the impact of an influenza pandemic for themselves, their family, and their friends.
Do you know the 3 most important things YOU can do to decrease the spread of colds, flu and even pandemic?
- Clean your hands before eating, and after coughing or sneezing
- Cover your cough
- Get your flu vaccine
As an added benefit, these three things also help stop the spread of annual colds and flu viruses.
WHY clean your hands and cover your cough?
Cold and influenza viruses are spread by DROPLETS that spray out when someone coughs or sneezes. The most common ways for droplets to spread are:
DIRECTLY – if someone coughs on you
or
FROM YOUR HANDS. Viruses live on hard surfaces for up to 48 hours. After touching a surface where virus-filled droplets have landed like door knobs, hand rails or table tops – the virus can pass from your hand to your mouth while eating.
WHICH is the best way to clean hands:
Soap and Water or Alcohol-based hand Sanitizer?
Both work. You need to lather your hands with soap for 15 seconds, then rinse. If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer is just as effective – it kills over 99% of viruses.
HOW best to “cover a cough”?
With a tissue - which is then promptly thrown out so those droplets don’t have a chance to spread.
With your upper arm – to avoid using your hand, as hands spread diseases.
With a surgical mask – you may be asked to do this when you visit a doctor’s office with cough and a fever – to stop droplets at their source.
WHEN you get the flu vaccine does it weaken or strengthen your immune system?
Flu vaccine strengthens your immune system by helping your body make antibodies that can fight off the flu virus. Antibodies are specific, so the vaccine will not help to fight off all cold and flu viruses, but it will protect you against specific influenza viruses.
For more information call 613-580-6744 or contact healthsante@ottawa.ca to request a copy of this fact sheet.
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