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Get the flu vaccine yearly. Wash your hands. Use soap and water. Clean your hands with alcohol gel. Avoid contact with people that are sick. Be aware of surfaces you touch. Protect yourself and other people from exposure. Stay at home, isolated from other people. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Avoid sharing items.
Scientists research and develop flu vaccines that are designed to prevent infection from the most likely strains of flu viruses. Every year the vaccine is different, so getting it one year does not protect you for the next round of flu season. Getting the flu vaccine is key in controlling the spread of the flu. The flu vaccine protects you from the flu, not from other contagious illnesses you may be exposed to. Upper respiratory illnesses, like a cold or the flu, are spread from person to person. A common way these illnesses are spread is by touching someone or something that has been contaminated with the virus. Wash with warm water and soap placed in the palm of your hand. Lather your hands by rubbing them together for at least 20 seconds. Be sure to cover all surfaces of your hand, including between your fingers, under your nails, and your wrists. Then rinse your hands well, use a paper towel to dry, and use a towel to turn off the faucet. Discard in the towel in the trash can.germs off your hands by wash Squirt gel into the palm of your dry hand. Rub your hands together covering all surfaces until the gel dries. This takes about 15 to 20 seconds. The flu virus can be spread by someone sick as far as six feet away. Coughing and sneezing creates tiny droplets that can travel through the air, landing on someone's hands, their mouth, nose, or inhaled directly into their lungs. Door knobs, desks, pencils, and other objects can carry the virus germs from one person to another. Once you touch an object that has been contaminated with the virus, it is easy to then touch your mouth, eyes, or nose. This provides a way for that unwanted virus to enter your body. The flu virus can live for two to eight hours on surfaces. If you get sick, avoid contact with other people until your symptoms improve or your doctor says you are not contagious. In the United States, estimates show that between 5% and 20% of the population get the flu every year. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year for complications and, each year, thousands of people die. The elderly, babies, pregnant women, and people that have compromised immune systems, or have asthma or other lung diseases, are at the greatest risk of developing complications. Protecting yourself from exposure, and preventing exposure to other people if you do get sick, can possibly save lives. Try to stay in an isolated room at home, separate from other family members (especially kids) to avoid spreading the illness. Don't go to work or school, and don't send your children to school or daycare when they are contagious. Coughing and sneezing into a tissue, or even into the bent part of your arm near your elbow, is better than spreading the infected droplets into the air. Bed sheets, towels, dishes, and utensils should be washed carefully before being used by other people.