For many of us the common cold is a nuisance, it’s a nasty
viral infection that can stay with us for only a day or last up to a week or
more. Influenza, or as most people call it the Flu, is an infection of the
nose, throat and lungs. Even though both the cold and flu have similar symptoms
the flu is much worse for your body.
As stated on webmd.com, “There are more than 100 types of
cold viruses and new strains of the flu evolve every few years. Since both
diseases are viral, antibiotics cannot conquer cold or flu.”
As healthy young adults we are able to better battle the
common cold. But when it comes to the elderly it becomes harder to fight such
an infection.
Chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood
pressure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease make it harder for the
elderly to fight a common cold. This puts them at a higher risk for upper
respiratory tract infections and other severe complications.
There are many ways in which a person can spread these
viruses to someone else. Some common ways are as follows:
·
Coughing and or sneezing without covering your
face.
·
Kissing
·
Shaking hands with someone who has the flu
Be sure to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, carry
tissues and hand sanitizer, wash your hands whenever possible.
So as this cold/flu season approaches let’s all take extra
precautions to protect our elderly population. Be sure to continuously wash
your hands, if you are sick stay home and away from anyone who may be easily
susceptible to this virus. You may also want to consider getting vaccinated
against the flu to also help prevent the transmission of the flu to others
besides the elderly.
Thank you for reading again this week. I do not yet have a topic
planned for my next blog so if it’s early enough send me a comment or message
if you have a particular topic you would like discussed. Until then have a
fabulous week and stay healthy.
~Chrissy~
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