5 Healthy Habits To Keep Your Loved Ones Safe When You’re Contagious

We all want to be healthy and safe. However, sometimes that can seem to be very hard to maintain, especially in the midst of a highly contagious pandemic. The highest mortality risk for coronavirus is among older adults—particularly those with existing medical conditions. Nearly 15 percent of patients over 80 have died in confirmed cases from China to date.

ADVERTISEMENT

The mortality rate for those aged 50 is just 1 percent. There is no proof yet that older adults are significantly more likely than younger people to develop the coronavirus. Yet medical professionals believe they are most likely to develop severe and life-threatening illnesses if they become infected.

Numerous forms of diseases propagate differently. Sneezing near a coworker, for instance, is a perfect way to spread the flu. Whereas most cold viruses are distributed from hand to hand contact. If already have symptoms of illness, you can protect your loved ones by following these tips when you’re contagious. 

ADVERTISEMENT
Contagious
Photo credit: thedoctorstv.com

Make Sure Everyone Washes Their Hands

The secret is to use soap and water, then scrub for 20 seconds (about as long as it takes you to sing the song of the alphabet). When you don’t have a sink available, you should use a hand sanitizer.

Make sure you apply it correctly, putting it all over your hands and between your fingertips. Wash before meals and drinks, despite when eating in public areas and having been in contact with someone.

ADVERTISEMENT

The terrible thing about most diseases is that when you get sick, you will become infectious. That means you can already be contagious, even though you only have a mild sore throat. That’s why it’s essential to pay attention to the ways you can avoid spreading germs around your house.

Encourage kids to wash their hands regularly and thoroughly. Cough and sneeze onto your forearm or in a tissue. Every day, things that could come into contact with other individuals should also be routinely cleaned clean. When someone you know is ill, restrict contact until they have passed the infectious stage.

Be Careful About What You Touch

Teach kids to be careful of the things they touch while out in public. Little hands tend to search for everything around them naturally. Please bring items to keep them busy or hold hands with them.

You could also make kids wear gloves. It’s also not a bad idea to take a few towels with you to wipe down chairs, tables, and other similar items in public places before you use them.

Practice Healthy Habits

Make sure your family members get the flu vaccine. The flu is very common — and can be very dangerous too. Teach children not to touch their ears, eyes, or noses until they have just cleaned their hands. Also, as an adult, you should try to be conscious of the number of times you touch your face when there are sicknesses going around.

Stay Hydrated, All of You

Make sure your family drinks water, and lots of it. Studies by Stanford’s pediatric infectious disease expert, Dr. David Lewis, suggests that drinking eight glasses of water a day moisturizes the nasal passageway and stops the flu virus from spreading through the bloodstream. Individuals who drink only 2-3 cups of water a day are almost four times more likely to catch the flu than someone who remains hydrated.

Avoid Physical Contact And Isolate Yourself

Experts caution that social distance, the pillar of disease prevention, can contribute to social isolation, which is already a concern in the elderly.

According to a longitudinal survey in more than 130 countries and territories by the Pew Research Center, 16 percent of people 60 and older live alone. When anyone has a fever and coughs in the household, they should stay home. Chances are it’s not coronavirus, though it’s definitely infectious if it is. And, just in case, it is best not to risk passing it along to others.

Conclusion

When you are contagious, it is important to do everything you can to protect those around you. Therefore, you should follow these tips and listen to health experts anytime you think you may have something that is contagious.

Click here to learn how to sanitize your homes during a pandemic.