THE BEGINNING of winter often comes with challenges that shake up a person’s daily life because of the chilling cold, and the sensitivity of the human body – which can put him at risk of catching a cold if he is not aware.
That is the warning of the health experts who passed it on to the people with the aim of encouraging them not to ignore the cold and the cold wind, which will be more common this time as winter begins throughout the country.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD), influenza is the most common disease in South Africa at this time, and is often a problem for the elderly, pregnant women and people with HIV and other infectious diseases.
The manager of the health unit of the Abbott health center, Dr. Karmani Murugan, said that it is very important for people to avoid catching the flu as it is a problem and easily contagious.
“And another thing that people need to be aware of is that in winter, it is easy for dangerous bacteria to spread because people are locked in their houses for most of the time, and also close the windows, which means that the air does not circulate properly and it is easy to get infected and get infected,” said Dr. Murugan.
He said that another problem is that there are still those who mislead others by making them believe that the flu is harmless, there are those who deceive themselves that they are safe because they got vaccinated last year or in the past, they forget that viruses are always there and they travel through the air, which puts everyone at risk.
Some expert tips to protect yourself this winter:
- Get a flu shot right away: Health experts encourage people not to stop getting vaccinated against the flu, which they say also helps protect people who are at risk of getting it, especially those with weakened immune systems.
- Don’t neglect getting enough rest: One of the things that makes people get sick easily is that they don’t get enough rest, so health experts encourage people to get enough sleep so that they have energy and strength to resist different health conditions that can be dangerous for them.
- Wash your hands often: Germs are easily spread through dirt, and it’s easy to get them by touching different things that may contain germs that you may not notice or see with the naked eye. So it’s important to wash your hands regularly to keep them clean and germ-free.
- Keep your body strong: Doctors encourage people to drink enough water, eat healthy food, exercise and cut down on alcohol especially during this time to stay healthy.
- Stay at home if you are not well: Health experts have warned people to stop exercising and going to work, and doing different activities of the day that are not compelling when you feel that you are not well because that can put you at risk of spreading death and infecting other people.