By Tammy Peebles, Chief Nursing Officer, Meadows Communities
A lot of people have difficulty knowing whether they have the flu or a cold. Since flu season is in full effect and doesn’t end until March, this would be a good time to provide some facts.
How is it transmitted?
- Spread from person to person, primarily through respiratory droplet transmission (e.g., when an infected person talks, kisses, shakes hands, coughs, spits, or sneezes near a susceptible person). These droplets can land in the mouth, nose, and possibly be inhaled into the lungs of people nearby.
- Transmission via large-particle droplets requires close contact between source and recipient persons because droplets generally travel only short distances (approximately 6 feet or less) through the air.
- Indirect contact transmission via hand transfer of influenza virus from virus-contaminated surfaces or object to mucosal surface of the face (e.g., nose, mouth) may also occur.
- Airborne transmission via small particle aerosols (e.g., inhalers, in the vicinity of the infectious individual may also occur).
- All respiratory secretions and bodily fluids, including diarrheal stools, of patients with influenza are considered to be potentially infectious.
- Symptoms usually appear one to four days after you’ve been infected.
How to avoid the flu:
- Stay home if you feel sick
- Keep your distance, especially if you live or work in close quarters
- Cover your moth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then wash your hands
- Don’t touch your face
- If you sneeze, sneeze into the corner of your elbow
- In public bathrooms, use warm, soapy water and rinse — never touch faucets and door handles with bare hands
- Wash your hands if you touch something a sick person handled — doorknobs, computers, faucets, elevator knobs, and etc.
- Use alcohol-based disinfectants
- Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands to the tune of “Happy Birthday” twice!
Meadows offers a full-range of senior living options—Independent Living, Independent Living—Plus!, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing Care, Memory Care, Respite Care, and Achieve! Wellness and Rehab Therapy—with two locations: Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community in Chenoa and Meadows at Mercy Creek in Normal. To learn more about senior living options at Meadows, visit www.meadowscommunities.org or call 309-268-1501.