Sicknesses surround everyone as the fall months arrive. Attendance problems continue for students, and with the inevitable spread of the flu, the faculty expect attendance problems to worsen.  When students take appropriate action, the spread of the flu becomes more preventable.

Before the season even begins, the best prevention measure includes the seasonal flu shot. This way, immune systems get a chance to fight off any contagious influenza strands that they come in contact with.

School nurse, Sheryl Barnes, LVN [licensed vocational nurse], suggests a few ways to maintain the flu from spreading. Her tips include: make sure to sleep enough to help your immune system fight off illnesses quickly. Maintaining a healthy diet and staying hydrated helps also. And ladies need to refrain from sharing lip gloss and makeup with friends because germs linger on these products if used by an ill person.

Once the season begins, these necessary measures assist people in avoiding the illness.

Since the flu spreads by droplets, covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing helps prevent the spreading of these droplets. Cough or sneeze into your elbow pit rather than hands, because the risk of spreading the illness further increases dramatically. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose with unwashed hands. One catches the illness by touching these germs, so disinfect frequently touched surfaces when someone around you appears ill. Wash hands with soap regularly if possible. If not, keep a bottle of hand sanitizer or Germ-X closeby and use accordingly to avoid the grotesque germs.

Ways to prevent spreading the flu to others exist if you end up catching the illness.

Avoid close contact with others. Keep your distance from healthy individuals because one never knows how hard the illness affects their system. Utilize the prevention measures mentioned before to stop the flu from spreading any further.

While all these methods prevent contaminated germs from spreading, the alternative to all of this includes just staying home, with a doctor’s note to excuse your absence, and ensure the safety of fellow students.