Flu season is well and truly upon us and most people are aware of the fact that staying healthy is a matter of practising really good personal hygiene.

The flu virus is passed on relatively easily and although people often mistake instances of the common cold for strains of flu, it’s certainly widespread enough to warrant taking the necessary steps to protect yourself against it.

The fact is that there’s no easy fix for flu. You can’t take antibiotics for it and you have to make do with plenty of rest, drinking lots of water, taking over-the-counter relief for fever and discomfort and generally sitting it out. Since you can’t rely on a medicinal cure, it’s obviously better to try and avoid getting flu in the first place and then to avoid passing it on if you start coming down with something nasty.

You’re lucky if you have a natural immunity to flu, which may very well be the case, but it’s still ill-advised to put yourself at risk. New strains appear every year and you’re not guaranteed to have immunity to all of them. Play it safe and use the following guidelines to keep flu at bay this winter.

1. Wash hands and surfaces

The very best way to avoid contracting the flu virus is to wash your hands properly as frequently as possible over the winter period. That doesn’t mean giving your hands a somewhat apologetic rinse under the cold water tap every so often. It means using hot water and soap and really giving your hands a proper scrub. Get hold of some hand moisturiser too, so that you don’t get the associated discomfort of such a stringent hand-washing regime.

If you use communal areas and bits of equipment at work, then make sure you invest in some anti-bacterial wipes. Cleaning your work surfaces is an important part of a better hygiene strategy and it takes some of the pressure off when it comes to hand-washing.

2. Be aware of how the virus is transferred

The flu virus usually gets into your system via the mouth. It’s not something you’ll absorb through the skin. As such, it makes sense to evaluate the way you behave on a daily basis to prevent the flu virus from finding its way to your mouth. People are rarely aware of how often they touch their faces during any given day. Monitor where you put your hands and try to avoid touching your face before washing your hands.

When you consider how often you handle items that other people have handled – things like money, hand rails, telephones, cutlery and crockery, stationery, door handles etc. – it becomes apparent how important it is to be vigilant.

3. Be responsible in terms of waste management

Now, there’s every chance that you’ll pass on the flu virus to someone else if you contract it. However, you can limit the chances of this happening by being more responsible when it comes to waste management. Blowing your nose and then disposing of the tissues properly sounds like a fairly small-time tactic in the fight against flu, but small-time tactics are the most effective.

Get bin bags and sacks for all waste of this kind and make sure you get rid of it quickly instead of letting it all hang around. In family homes, this is really important because not everyone has to get the flu virus even if one person falls prey to it. The same goes for workplaces where the transfer of the virus is so easy.

4. Don’t put yourself at risk

If you work in close contact with people then you need to protect yourself by wearing latex or nitrile gloves. Doctors, nurses, dentists, care workers and so on are always at risk because of the jobs they do. It’s very likely you’ll be offered a flu jab if you do this sort of job, but gloves are still advised because they stop you from forming part of a chain in the transfer of the flu virus from patient to patient.

5. Get the jab if you’re vulnerable

The flu jab is not just for those who work in healthcare. It’s also for other vulnerable groups, like the elderly, pregnant women and people who suffer with conditions like asthma. Free flu jabs are offered to vulnerable groups, but if you feel run down or have doubts about your immune system then you can pay for the flu jab too. It may be a worthwhile investment, especially if you live and work in close quarters with other people.

In short, it’s all about protecting yourself and protecting others. Simple tactics work the best and if we all look after ourselves and each other we stand a better chance of limiting the impact of flu in the coming weeks and months.