With flu season underway, here are ways you can avoid and fight off the flu without going through a whole box of tissues!
You can catch the flu at any time of the year but it’s more likely from April-October in the colder months.Â
Prevention
Vaccination and practising good hand and respiratory hygiene is your best defence against the spread of the flu.
To protect yourself and those around you here are 7 easy steps to help fight the flu:
- Get a flu shot every year
- If you are unwell, stay at home and avoid contact with others
- Wash your hands often and properly with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser
- Cover your cough and sneezes with a tissue or a flexed elbow. Throw your tissues away immediately and wash your hands afterwards
- Try to stay 1.5 metres away from anyone who coughs and sneezes
- Clean frequently touched surfaces regularly with soap and water or detergent
- Don’t share items such as cups, glasses, cutlery, lip balm, toys or anything which has come into contact with the mouth or nose.
Treatment
The flu is best managed by:
- bed rest
- drinking plenty of fluids
- over-the-counter medication to help relieve symptoms (take only as directed).
How it spreads
The flu is mostly spread in two ways. First, is by airborne droplets from an infected person coughing, sneezing or talking.Â
Second, is by touching contaminated surfaces (such as hands, remote controls, phones, keyboards and door handles) and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
People are generally infectious from 24 hours before symptoms appear until a week afterwards. Children and those who have a compromised immune system can be infectious for longer.
From 24 May 2022 until 30 June 2022, the Queensland Government will be offering free influenza vaccinations to all Queenslanders over 6 months of age.
