Incognito Influenza

Music festivals, Holiday gatherings, Summer events, and pandemic flu virus go hand in hand around this time of bustling year. If you’re out having fun in the sun this summer, you should be aware of the dangers that lurk in the common air. Close quarter events can easily turn from a blast to a bad day, especially for individuals not implementing NPIs in their everyday life. CDC describes NPIs (non pharmaceutical Interventions) as “actions that people and communities can take, apart from getting vaccinated and taking medications, to help slow the spread of respiratory illnesses.” These are also known as mitigation strategies. Recently, experts at CDC teamed up with the Department of Health and Human Services to release an updated guide to putting NPIs in effect in your home, work place, or community. With the big bad flu constantly changing chemical make ups, it’s impossible to develop an immunity to it all together. Some of the most important tips from this guide to help keep you flu-free are:

• Staying home on sick days, even if it’s just the cold. Being sick can increase your chances of contracting the flu if it isn’t your current ailment. This would also be the time to implement the pharmaceutical interventions (which we carry on our website.)
• Implementing personal space. While it may prove difficult in a public gathering setting, keeping a healthy distance from unknown people is a great precautionary tactic. /li>
• The new age method of covering sneezes and coughs with your inner elbow as opposed to your hands is imperative for keeping all the germs out of the air, and keeping your already contaminated hands away from your mouth.
• Regular hand washing throughout the day to reduce bacteria transferred from surfaces or contact with others. Keeping hand sanitizer handy can’t hurt either.

As always, staying updated and informed on the current health risks and concerns of modern day. One person doing NPIs isn’t enough to prevent a flu epidemic. CDC and other experts work hard to advocate across the board mitigation, especially with the absence of a cure for influenza. It is hoped that with the spreading of awareness in NPIs, and people getting regularly vaccinated, we may reduce the number of flu cases in the United States, and then the world. Community mitigation is imperative for your health, your children’s health, and health of those around you.