Cold and Flu Prevention

It’s about that time of year again. Everyone’s coughing and sneezing and aching with either a cold or flu. But, there is hope! There are simple precautions everyone can take at home and especially in the office. The Center for Disease Control keeps great records on influenza activity. They even have a map of the US that they update weekly so you can track the activity in your area! The map is located at the bottom of the page, while the rest of the page is full of fun tables and graphs.

They predict that we’re about to hit the peak activity, especially here in Texas where influenza activity has become more widespread over the last few weeks.
There are simple steps to prevent catching and/or spreading the flu at work. I’ve put the whole list up on the bulletin board as well as on the share drive.

Here’s just a summary:

1. Wash your hands. Often.
2. Keep your workspace clean.
3. Eat balanced meals every day – including breakfast!
4. Avoid coworkers who are sick.
5. Drink AT LEAST 8 glasses of water a day.
6. Take frequent breaks throughout the day.
7. Use your PTO!
8. Quit smoking.

With a little effort we can ensure that IT Freedom stays healthy during this flu season. Be on the lookout for a little ‘survival kit’ to help keep you well during the peak of the flu season as well as signs around the office.

If you do feel like you’re getting sick, it’s important to be able to distinguish the different between a cold and the flu. Take a look at the list of symptoms and which illnesses they're associated with:

• Fever: Usually present with the flu, rarely with a cold
• Aches: Usual and often severe with the flu, slight with a cold
• Chills: Fairly common with the flu, uncommon with a cold
• Tiredness: Moderate to severe with the flu, mild with a cold
• Sudden Symptoms: Can appear within 3-6 hours with the flu, appear much more gradually with a cold
• Coughing: Dry/unproductive cough with the flu, hacking/productive cough with a cold
• Sneezing: Common with a cold, fairly uncommon with the flu
• Stuffy nose: Common with a cold, fairly uncommon with the flu
• Sore throat: Common with a cold, fairly uncommon with the flu
• Chest discomfort: Often severe with the flu, mild to moderate with a cold
• Headache: Common with the flu, fairly uncommon with a cold

If you do feel like you have the flu you may want to talk to your doctor about antiviral medicines. It’s important to know that these medicines have to be taken within 12-48 hours of the initial onset of the symptom. FluFacts.com has some great information on how these work and what to ask your doctor.

If it is a cold, the only treatment is to relieve the symptoms and wait it out. There’s a great article on what to look for and how to treat it.

Social
Since February is a short month and we’re stretched pretty thin as it is, I figured we’d take it easy and have another bowling night. Wednesday, February 25th I’ll be getting a lane or two over at Highland Lanes (right up the road) starting at 6pm. I’ll be creating an event invitation so that I can know how many lanes to reserve. All you’ll need to bring is socks and $2.50 to cover your shoe rental.

Stay healthy!
Lauren