8 Tips every Kenyan should know to avoid catching flu during this cold season

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It amazing how Kenyans will literally joke about anything really. A new meme has been having most of us on the hook, it brought out the thought that ever since Huduma Namba was introduced, most of us are getting flu that can’t go away, do you think it’s true?  If you have made a keen observation, you will see guys in a matatu coughing, others blowing their noses, let’s not forget the sneezes.

As usual, it has become part of the cycle that along with the fall of the rains and arrival of the cold season, people increasingly start falling sick. Each cold and the rainy season is almost inevitable to fall into the many unpleasant diseases.

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In order to avoid the most prevalent disease in the world, the common cold, and to avoid falling into the networks of this type of virus. We have been pointed out on multiple occasions, that the cold itself does not cause colds or flu, although they can contribute to preserving these viruses, so the association between low temperatures and these diseases is not free.

In addition, it is noted that there are many people who have vitamin C, but it does not prevent colds, or at least, there is not enough scientific evidence to maintain such an idea. So, what can we do to keep colds at bay in cold and rainy season?

Wash your hands

It is worth remembering once again: the constipated and the flu are contagious by direct contact. And it is not enough to simply wet your hands and dry them quickly, but you have to rub them well, with soap, and at least for 20 seconds.

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It can be tedious, but it can also make a difference. A famous experiment conducted by the United States Navy showed that after forcing soldiers to wash their hands five times a day, the incidence of colds had been reduced by no less than 45%.

Don’t touch your face

The eyes, nose and mouth are the most sensitive areas of the body for the entrance of pernicious organisms. The tendency of children to touch their faces makes them easy targets for this type of bacteria, which is why they usually spend more time in colds than adults. In addition, children are more contagious than adults during the first two days of illness.

Avoid stress

A stressed man is the perfect victim of cold bacteria. When we are more nervous than usual, our immune system begins to weaken and the production of interleukins begins to fall. Chronic stress can cause a cold to be stronger and harder to heal. The symptoms of a cold are not caused by a virus, but by the inflammatory response to the infection so if you’re stressed out you know what that means.

Don’t sneeze in your hands

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Do not sneeze in your hands. The most common reaction is to cover your mouth with your hands when we sneeze, but it is the best way to spread our bacteria and contribute to the contagion of anyone who is going to shake our hands.

It is preferable to sneeze in our sleeves, or even better, in a tissue. Failing that, ask those around you to do the same, or protect your mouth with a handkerchief (which has to be thrown away immediately) so that you do not get sick.

Rest well

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Just as it is important to be relaxed, enjoying sufficient sleep is essential to keep out of reach of colds. The reason is again the protection of our immune system, which is the main defence against this type of infection. It is no longer just about escaping from the common cold, but also about many other diseases.

Caution with closed spaces

Hospitals, airports and crowded public transport. These are three of the places where it is most likely to catch a cold, because in them, the concentration of people is very high and the possibility of contagion, much higher.

Image result for kenyan with a flu

So, although the cold seems the main cause of these ailments, it is preferable to go out to the street to take the air to expose themselves to contagion in crowded places.

Eat garlic and yoghurt

Garlic is a food that protects our immune system from a large number of bacterial infections, specifically, thanks to components such as allicin, ajoene and thiosulfates. For its part, yoghurt helps the positive bacteria that are the ones that create the white blood cells that protect us.

Do not trust antibiotics

Although we should never self-medicate under any circumstances, we have to remember that antibiotics kill bacteria and not viruses, for which pressuring the doctor to provide them is not only useless but counterproductive, since it can kill bacteria that are part of our defences.

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