The Central Shenandoah Health District is offering some advice to keep your family healthy during the colder months.
CSHD is offering three little things that will help protect individuals from viruses: wash your hands, cover your coughs and sneezes, and get immunized.
“All of these habits add protection to our defense against illness and to help keep us healthy throughout the respiratory illness season,” said Dr. Allison Baroco, acting health director for CSHD.
The “Little Things” campaign is being launched to held reduce the cases of COVID-19, flu and RSV in the region.
For more information about how to stay healthy during respiratory illness season and all year round, contact the Staunton-Augusta Health Department at (540) 332-7830.
Tip one: Wash your hands
Washing hands takes a mere 20-30 seconds but can be key to keeping you healthy and preventing respiratory diseases. Germs can spread by touching surfaces and other people.
Be sure to wash your hands:
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- Before and after preparing food or eating
- Before and after caring for someone else who is sick
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean your hands.
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Tip two: Cover your cough
Respiratory viruses can spread through droplets that are released when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
- To limit the spread of respiratory viruses, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
- If you don’t have a tissue, cough into your upper sleeve or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
Tip three: Get immunized
- Everyone aged six months and older should get a flu shot every year, with a few exceptions.
- People aged six months and older can receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
- All adults aged 75 years and older are recommended to receive a single dose of one RSV vaccine. If you are 60-74 years old with a health condition, speak with your healthcare provider before getting the vaccine.
- Pregnant women and parents of newborns should also talk with their provider about the benefits of the RSV vaccine.
- If you are sick, stay home to prevent additional spread of respiratory virus.
Video: Dr. Laurie Forlano on respiratory illness season
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Crystal Graham
