One sneeze can spread thousands of viruses! This is where the office flu virus likes to hide (first picture source/Freepik)
Text: Chen Yunru (NOW Health)
The virus is active in autumn and winter, and the coughing in the office never stops. If a colleague sitting next door has a cold and sneezes, thousands of tiny virus-containing droplets can be released, and these invisible threats will land on the keyboard and mouse. So don’t ignore the colleague next to you who starts blowing his nose or coughing to clear his throat.
Keep your distance and wash your hands frequently! To effectively cut off the chain of virus transmission
Dr. Wu Biyu, a specialist in pediatric allergy and immunology, pointed out that when a colleague with a cold coughs against the computer screen, those virus-laden droplets will spread in the air like smoke. However, these droplets do not fly too far. Droplets produced by coughing or sneezing can only travel about 2 meters in the air before falling to the ground. Therefore, by keeping a distance of 2 meters from someone with a cold, you can actually avoid most risks of direct transmission. Dr. Wu reminded that you should also avoid hiding cold carriers, because these people have actually begun to spread the virus before they show obvious symptoms.
Next, there is the cliché health care of “washing hands”, but it is recognized as the most effective way of self-protection. Dr. Wu Biyu pointed out that the virus can only survive for a few minutes when attached to the hands. However, repeated unconscious actions such as touching the face, rubbing the eyes, touching the nose, biting nails, etc. are enough for the virus to enter the body. Dr. Wu reminds you to wash your hands properly by scrubbing them with soap for at least 20 seconds, and thoroughly clean the spaces between fingers, fingernails, and wrists that are easily overlooked and where viruses love to hide.
Don’t miss these details when disinfecting your environment and strengthening your immune system at the same time
Dr. Wu Biyu said that the influenza virus can survive on the surface of objects for a short period of time, so before leaving get off work every day, thoroughly wipe the keyboard, mouse, phone receiver and other high-touch areas on the desktop with disinfectant wipes for effective protection. In addition, there is also the cleaning of public areas such as door handles, elevator buttons, photocopier touch panels, conference room tabletops, refrigerator door handles in the pantry, microwave buttons, and other places touched by many people. During the season when influenza or viruses are active, they should be disinfected at least twice a day.
External protection alone is not enough, the real line of defense lies in your immune system. Dr. Wu Biyu suggests that adequate sleep is the most underestimated immune weapon. Sleeping for 7 to 8 hours every night can give the body enough time to repair and produce immune cells, helping the immune system to effectively fight viruses.
Dr. Wu Biyu believes that influenza vaccination is still the most direct way of protection. Even if it cannot prevent infection 100%, it can prevent complications caused by influenza infection. If unfortunately infected, the symptoms will be much milder, greatly reducing the chance of hospitalization and severe illness. However, the vaccine usually only develops protection 2 weeks after vaccination, so high-risk groups must get vaccinated quickly before the flu spreads to establish a complete protective shield and survive each flu season safely.
★This article is published with the authorization of “NOW Health”. The original text is published here
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