Off Topic Friday: Flu-Free Home
The single best thing you can do to keep the flu out of your home is to get vaccinated. There should be plenty of vaccine to go around, so don’t feel like you will be taking away from someone else. Two-thirds of the population are recommended to get one. That two-thirds includes people 50 and over, children between six months and their 5th birthday, anyone in close contact with young children, anyone with chronic disease of heart, liver, lungs, or kidneys, people with diabetes, and health care workers.
If shots give you the willies, there is another option. A vaccine in the form of nasal mist has been approaved since last year and is approved for use in healthy people between the ages of 5 and 50. The nasal spray is made from live, but weakened virus (whereas the traditional shot is made from killed virus).
Whichever vaccine you choose, remember that neither is 100 precent effective because the virus that causes flu can mutate very quickly. So make sure you also practice good winter hygiene. Wash you hands whenever you come in from any contact with the outside world and carry some baby wipes or anti-bacterial wipes in your purse or handbag or car so that you can wash up even when you are away from water.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Take your lunch to work or school in reuseable containers and have a no-garbage lunch. Which in turn creates zero waste for the landfill.
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