We are presently in the height of the cold and flu season. As well, many of us are in close quarters with it being winter and being mostly indoors either at home, school, or work. While you cannot prevent myocarditis from occurring, you can minimize the dangers to yourself and others from contracting the diseases, mainly viruses, that may cause myocarditis.
Wash Your Hands
Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to halt the spread of illness. The best way to wash your hands is with water, soap, and friction by rubbing them together. It is recommended that you run the water, wet your hands, apply soap, rub them together for a minimum of 20 seconds, rinse them off, take a paper towel and turn off the faucet. Do not touch the faucet once done washing your hands as you will be just placing the germs back onto your hands. If in a public restroom, use a paper towel to open the door. Do not touch the door handle with your hands as you will be again potentially putting the germs back on your hands.
Stay Home If You Are Sick
If you feel that you are becoming sick, it is important to stay home to prevent spreading it to others. Those with a fever should wait at least 24 hours until after it goes away before they return to work. The same also goes for parents with sick children. Viruses spread quickly in schools, so do your part to prevent them from doing so.
Use Antibiotics Smartly
Antibiotics are powerful, but they do not work for everything. They are ineffective against colds and the flu. Taking antibiotics when you do not need to can put you at risk of developing bacterial infections later. Since antibiotics kill sensitive bacteria, resistant and harmful germs can survive and multiply – putting you at risk for getting an antibiotic-resistant infection. Always talk to your doctor before taking an antibiotic to make sure it will treat your illness, and take it as prescribed. Do not stop taking the complete dose of the medicine even if you are feeling better unless told to do so by your doctor. By stopping before the full course of therapy you put yourself at risk of developing resistant organisms to the drug.
Keep Your Home Clean
Infectious diseases can spread by touching something an infected person has come into contact with. Regularly clean household surfaces to help prevent the spread of infections in your household. Use hot soapy water or household cleaning products to disinfect surfaces regularly. Additionally, if someone has been sick, clean anything they came into contact with thoroughly to prevent them from getting sick again.
Flu Vaccine (If Recommended By A Doctor)
Make sure you talk to your doctor before getting a flu shot to see if it is right for you. While getting a flu shot does not completely eliminate a person’s risk of developing the flu, it does severely reduce it. If a person does develop the flu despite getting the flu shot, it will probably be a less severe case than if they did not get the vaccine.
Each year, thousands of people develop myocarditis, most of which are caused by viruses. By doing your part to help prevent the spread of viruses, you can help people from potentially developing viral myocarditis. You will be helping the Myocarditis Foundation in preventing myocarditis from occurring. Make sure to keep up with the latest myocarditis research, advice, and stories by liking and following the Myocarditis Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.
