News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Do not underestimate the value of washing your hands to stop the spread of illness as you visit with family over the next several days.
The Tennessee Department of Health’s Bill Christian said there are more viruses spreading than usual as people begin to travel and gather in large groups. Christian said a flu shot is the number one way to avoid getting or spreading the sickness.
“It’s not too late to get a flu shot,” Christian said. “You can, if you have not received one yet, you can still do that, and again after about two weeks, protected. You’ll be protected from the flu, and like I said that’s the best way to protect yourself, your family, and everyone around you.”
Christian said the best way to fight viruses other than the flu is frequently washing your hands with soap and water. He said it is also very important to make sure you are coughing and sneezing into a tissue or your sleeve, not your hands.
“If you cough into your hands or sneeze into your hands and then you’re shaking hands with people, you’re spreading germs,” Christian said.
Christian said it is still important for people to take precautions even if they are not concerned about getting sick themselves.
“You have to think about the other people around you,” Christian said. “You have to think about the other, the two populations we worry about are the young and the older population. You know, infants have a higher risk of getting sick and the elderly as well. So it’s really all about protecting.”
Christian said these sanitary methods are still effective and worth doing for people who have families or social groups that do not practice them.
“You don’t want to force someone to do something they’re not comfortable with, but we would ourselves as a state agency and, you know, I do it with my family, you know, encourage,” Christian said. “You don’t want to be aggressive about it, but you try to encourage them to, especially the people you love, to get a flu shot and take care of themselves.”
