Reach the Montgomery County Health Department at 765-364-6440 or visit online at www.montgomerycounty.in.gov/
health.
We all know the holiday season can be one of the most stressful times of the year, and it is almost here. With all the holiday hustle, bustle, shopping and family gatherings, everyone wants to stay healthy as possible to ensure a fun and safe holiday for their family and friends. Tips on staying healthy not only during the holiday season are as follows:
• Wash your hands
Your hands are a vehicle for germs. Wash them vigorously for 20 seconds with hot water and soap before cooking/preparing food, between ready-to-eat foods and raw meats, after using the restroom, after coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid over eating
• Stay active and exercise
• Be proactive and get your flu vaccination
• Drink plenty of water
• Watch out for food poisoning
Make sure hot food stays above 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and cold foods stay at 41 degrees Fahernheit or below. Don’t let food sit out more than four hours, and make sure when reheating food that it is reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds.
• Limit your alcohol consumption
There are a wide range of sicknesses that go around this time of year, such as Norovirus, and the flu. Norovirus symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, fever. Flu symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Norovirus and the flu are contagious and can be spread through things that you come in contact with. Some illnesses can be spread from human to food to human. Norovirus is one of those illnesses.
Should you have any symptoms of illness, it is extremely important to practice good hygiene, abstain from family gatherings to protect others, drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest. Once you are feeling better, it is just as important to go through your home and sanitize the restrooms, door handles, bedding and any other items you may have come into contact with. Sanitizing directions after you or a family member have been sick is 1 2/3 cup of bleach to a gallon of water for porous surfaces, and 1/3 cup of bleach to a gallon of water for non-porous surface.
For more information, call your primary healthcare provider or contact the Montgomery County Health Department to schedule an appointment for the flu vaccination at 765-364-6440.
