Northwest Iowa — We are right in the middle of the bad time of year for the big two illneses that keep people from work and school — the flu, and the “stomach flu”. But experts say there are some things you can do to prevent getting sick and making others sick.
People who have influenza suffer from symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills, runny or stuffy nose, headache, and fatigue. Iowa State Epidemiologist, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says the flu — influenza — is worse this year both in severity and number of cases.
She says since it’s most dangerous for those type of people to get the flu, they are the ones that need to be protected the most.
She says that besides getting a flu shot and staying away from people who are ill, there are other ways to be cautious to reduce your risk of getting the flu.
If you have a sick family member at home, she says the same idea applies to keep the rest of the family from getting sick.
If it’s the stomach flu that’s visiting your house, Quinlisk says that anyone with diarrhea or vomiting should not be handling any food items, regardless of how well they wash their hands. She says that’s important no matter if you’re cooking for two or 200, whether it’s a regular family meal or at a restaurant. Usually, the stomach flu is caused by norovirus, and anyone with those type of symptoms should stay home from school, daycare, work or other events to help stop the spread to others, she says. In fact, she also says that anyone who has been sick with symptoms of norovirus should not prepare food for others for two days after their symptoms have gone away, since this virus can spread even after you start feeling better.
