Staying Healthy When Sickness Is Going Around
When cold and flu season ramps up—and COVID‑19 and RSV are circulating too—it can feel like everyone around you is getting sick. The good news: simple, evidence‑based steps can significantly reduce your risk and help protect those around you.
One of the most effective things you can do is stay up to date on recommended vaccinations, which help protect against serious illness, hospitalization, and death from viruses like flu, COVID‑19, and RSV, when eligible. Even when vaccines don’t completely prevent infection, they often reduce the severity of symptoms.
Good hygiene habits also go a long way. The CDC recommends washing your hands regularly, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces to lower the spread of respiratory viruses. These simple actions help remove germs and reduce the chance of passing them to someone else.
Another helpful strategy is improving indoor air quality. Bringing in fresh outdoor air, purifying indoor air, or choosing outdoor gatherings when possible can reduce the amount of virus particles lingering in shared spaces.
If you start feeling sick—with symptoms like fever, cough, chills, fatigue, or a runny nose—the CDC advises staying home and away from others until your symptoms are improving and you’ve been fever‑free for at least 24 hours without medication. This prevents spreading illness during the period when you’re most contagious. Once you return to normal activities, taking extra precautions for the next five days—such as good hygiene, cleaner air, distancing, testing, or wearing a well‑fitting mask—can further reduce the chance of spreading illness to others.
Finally, consider taking additional protective steps during times of high community spread or when you’ll be around people at higher risk, including older adults or those with weakened immune systems. Masks, distancing, and testing can all offer an extra layer of protection.
By combining these practical, proven strategies, you can help keep yourself—and your community—healthier through respiratory virus season.
