Your first line of defense to avoid getting sick this year is simple - Wash Your Hands. That's right. The simple act of washing your hands frequently with soap and hot water will limit the spread of cold and flu viruses and your chance of coming down with them. It would be best to practice washing your hands whenever you've been out in public and when you can get through the workday. Wash them before you eat or drink food and when hot water and soap aren't available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. 

Most Virus' Comes From Your Hands

Why is this so important? Because you are more likely to pick those viruses up with your hands than any other way. Sure, having someone cough in your face doesn't help, but your chances of getting the flu or coming down with the common cold thanks to contacting a handrail or doorknob are much higher. You pick the virus up by moving about your day. It could be touching the handle of a shopping cart or closing a door behind you. It's now in your hands, which isn't a big problem. It can't enter through the skin there. 

Easier Said than Done: You Should Avoid Touching Your Face.

The problem arises when you touch your face. It happens a lot more than most of us realize. We feel our noses, rub our eyes, or get our fingers too close to our mouths when we eat or cough. The virus makes it to a mucous membrane in any of those areas, and it's right where it wants to be. 

Clean Hands - Less Sickness

That's why it's essential to wash your hands. It isn't some busy work that healthcare professionals give you to make you feel like there's something you can do. Instead, it is your best line of defense. So, remember to wash your hands often. 

Thank you for reading.