The influenza virus is responsible for causing the flu. It is highly contagious and has can lead to dry cough, sneezing, fatigue, muscle ache, fever, chills, dehydration, headaches, sore throat, and nasal congestion. It is best to prevent the flu before it begins to avoid these symptoms altogether. You must observe certain precautions to prevent the flu from attacking your body or spreading to others around you.

Six ways to prevent the flu:

• Flu shots: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that you get a flu vaccination annually. Anyone over the age of six months can receive this shot on a yearly basis. But make sure you get it just before the peak flu season, between October and May. Remember that while the flu vaccine is not a foolproof method of preventing this condition, it certainly helps in reducing the risk of being infected by the influenza virus. It can also help in ensuring that you don’t develop a severe form of the flu.
• Avoid physical contact: Avoid close interaction with others. If you are suffering from the flu, act responsibly and stay at home. Do not attend school or work, and you should also avoid social gatherings, parties or other crowded places where you have a high chance of infecting others. On the other hand, make sure you remain at least three feet away from infected people at all times. This is because the flu virus can spread through nasal secretions from the nose or mouth when the affected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.
• Cover your mouth while sneezing: When you are suffering from the flu, make sure you cough or sneeze into your elbow or the crook of your hand. Do not follow the commonly taught behavior of closing your mouth or nose with your palms when you cough or sneeze. In the case of flu, the virus can easily spread from your hands to any surface you touch right after that.
• Hygiene: While it is important to keep your hands away from your face when you have the flu, you must do the same when someone around you is suffering from the flu. In this way, the nasal secretions that transmit the virus have a lesser possibility of infecting you or others.
• Wash your hands: Use water with plain or antibacterial soap to thoroughly wash your hands frequently when you suffer from the flu or tend to someone with the flu. An antibacterial hand sanitizer would work too when there is no water available nearby.
• Clean surfaces around you: Wipe down often used surfaces like doorknobs, computer keyboards, phones, kitchen counters, taps, and switches in a shared environment with a disinfectant to prevent the virus from spreading.

Bonus tip: Reduce stress levels and get sufficient sleep daily. Enjoy a wholesome nutrient-rich diet every day to keep your immune system strong.