Every year one in five people catch the flu. Therefore, can it be beneficial to show caution in time in order not to end up in bed for several days.
Hands are key
Luckily, there are plenty of precautions to take to avoid catching the flu. Among other things make sure to sneeze and cough in a handkerchief, rather than your sleeve or hands. Likewise, you should avoid close contact with sick people. It is also important to keep your hands clean; wash them often and use hand sanitizer.
These things might seem obvious, but research proves that they are effective.
In a Danish project, conducted at Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen, researchers were successful in reducing sick leave of employees in periods where personal hygiene was in focus.
Especially the cleanliness of hand was in focus. During the project, employees were asked to use hand sanitizer before and after contact with patients, which afterwards resulted in less sick leave. However, it is unclear whether other factors influenced the results of the project.
A new virus every year
Influenza is an inflammation of the airways caused by a virus. The virus is constantly changing, meaning that one cannot become completely immune and is therefore susceptible to the disease every year.
If you begin to feel the symptoms of influenza, it is crucial that you avoid close contact with others. That way you won’t expose them to the risk of getting infected with the virus, and by doing so, avoid that the virus spreads even further.
The symptoms of influenza can be:
- Fever
- Muscle- and joint pain
- Shivers
- Headache
- Sore throat
In some cases, the patient will also experience vomiting and diarrhoea.
Normally, there is a period of one to four days from infection to when the first symptoms start to appear. When you are sick with the flu, it will normally take a couple of weeks before the symptoms are completely gone. The fever is often worst in the first week, but the fatigue and coughing can persist longer.
