Flu Fighter: 10 Things to Do - and 5 You Shouldn'tUse this search feature to quickly find the information you’re looking for. Flu Prevention: 10 Tips. What Parents Can Do. While we can’t do much about the worldwide spread of influenza, there are 10 simple but effective things we can do inside our home to keep our family healthy. 
10 Things To Do1 Wash your hands.And make your kids wash their hands. A lot. (Tell them they can finally play in water.) Avoid the anti-bacterial soaps that may actually cause more viruses in the long run by making germs resistant. Unless kids' hands are visibly dirty, encourage them to use the alcohol-based cleansers that clean without water. These cleansers kill germs by dehydration. You can buy small bottles and pack them in your kids' backpacks for use at school. If they need soap and water, they must scrub vigorously for at least 30 seconds to kill germs. (Tell Annie to wash while she sings the Alphabet Song. That should do it.) The more you wash, the safer you are. 2 Teach kids to sneeze or cough into a tissue. Then then throw the tissue away. Never have them cough into their hand. 3 Get a flu shot. The season flu vaccine doesn't protect against swine virus. But it too can be serious, especially for infants, elders and those with weak immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notes that complications from the season flu kill an average of 36,000 people per year in the U.S. and results in the hospitalization of more than 200,000 people. Do get the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available as well, and make sure everyone in your family who is old enough gets one of each, too. 4 Launder linens of a flu-sufferer separately. Don't hug the laundry to your chest prior to washing; and be sure to set the clothes dryer on the hottest setting. Wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling dirty laundry. 5 Disinfect your home. What's the most germ-laden room of your house? Nope, it's not the bathroom. It's the kitchen -- especially the sink area. And the worst germ-breeding object in your house? The kitchen sponge or dishrag. The moistness in sponges creates an ideal growing environment for these nasty little creatures. Disinfect sponges periodically by wetting them and popping them into the microwave for two minutes; replace them at least once a week. Change dishrags daily. 6 Clean surfaces that may harbor germs with a good virus-killing disinfectant, such as Clorox or Lysol. Regularly clean doorknobs, faucets, countertops, keyboards, telephone receivers and any other frequently touched surfaces. 7 Take care of yourself. Cold germs and viruses are around all the time. So why aren’t we sick all the time? Usually, healthy, well-nourished, well-rested people can fend off many germs. And if you do get sick, good health usually helps you recover faster. So make sure your family gets at least eight hours of sleep, eats healthy meals (lots of fruit and vegetables) and exercises daily. All the good stuff you should be doing, anyway! 8 Keep the flu at home. If you or your child is running a temperature, stay home! Do not go out and infect others. And if you have younger kids, think twice before sending them to indoor amusement parks where toddlers may have been drooling over plastic balls, etc. Avoid people who have been sick. Adults are contagious up to seven days after experiencing symptoms. And kids are contagious longer than that. Parents may want to consider talking to his or her employer about working from home. 9 If you do get the H1N1 flu, start antiviral prescription medications such as oseltamivir or zanamivir right away. If you take these drugs within the first 48 hours of symptoms, they can lessen the severity. Otherwise, all you can do is drink a lot of liquids and try to sleep through it. If your symptoms are severe – and particularly if you have difficulty breathing – see a doctor. 10 Finally, call a doctor if your child has fast breathing or trouble breathing, is not drinking enough fluids, has severe or persistent vomiting, or has flu-like symptoms that improve but return with fever and cough. 
5 Things Not to Do1 Don’t share.Tell you kids not to drink after other kids or share food. And warn your daughters not to share lip-gloss. 2 Don't bet on a face mask preventing infection. According to the CDC, the masks have not been proven effective in preventing transmission of the H1N1 or seasonal influenza viruses. If you like the style, by all means wear it - but see tips above. You'll need them. 3 Respond with `Regrets' should you be invited to a swine influenza party. If you've not attended one, it works like this: the guest of honor is someone with the swine virus. The idea is for other guests to sidle up to the sufferer for the sole intent of catching the virus in the hopes they'll have a mild case, and then have immunity so that they won't get sick if the H1N1 virus worsens. Sounds fun, doesn't it? Yeah, that's not how my family rolls...I'll be sending our regrets, too. 4 Don't panic - yet. Sure, swine flu is a pandemic, but so far, it's been a "moderate" pandemic, according to WHO Director Margaret Chan, MD. But like anything in life, that could change, should the virus change and become harsher. 5 Don't rush to the ER unless you or your child has the following symptoms: Children's symptoms: -- fast breathing or trouble breathing -- bluish or gray skin color -- not drinking enough fluids -- severe or persistent vomiting -- not waking up or not interacting -- being so irritable that the child does not want to be held -- symptoms improve but then return with cough and fever. Adult symptoms: -- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath For more information, visit the -- pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen -- sudden dizziness -- confusion -- severe or persistent vomiting -- symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough. Centers for Disease Control If you find this website useful, please consider helping with its production with a donation of $10. To say 'thank you' for your generosity, we will give you the info packed e-book for parents considering a family pet – and those who already have one – “Taming the Family Zoo”. Your e-book link will be sent to you with your donation receipt.
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