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Achoo!!!! That is a sound I am hearing more and more these days. Either that of coughing. I don’t know which one makes me cringe more. Unless it’s an allergy chances are the sneeze means that millions of germs are coming at you at lightening speeds. A cough is equally as nasty.
I try so hard not to get sick during cold and flu season. I know most people do, but sometimes even the biggest “germophobe” ends up with a cold or the flu. No matter what you do those tiny germs find their way into your body.
Did you now that EVERY YEAR the U.S. alone reports more than one billion colds and 35 – 50 million flu cases. Oh my! That fact makes me sick to my stomach (no pun intended).
As you know you cannot always predict when cold and flu season will hit. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) the timing, length and severity of cold and flu season varies fro one year to the next.
I can deal with most colds. It’s the flu that I never want to get ever again.
Once when I had the flu my husband had to travel far to a 24 hour pharmacy to get me medication during a blizzard (thankfully they were open). Another time both my husband and I had the flu and our daughter’s school called to say she had a fever (even thought she felt fine) and told us we had to get her. I told her we both had the flu but she didn’t seem to care. We had no one who could help get her for us so we had to drag our sick selves to the car and drive to school. Once there I called the nurse to ask if she could just release our daughter. She refused to because she had to be signed out. I explained to her that we had the flu but she didn’t care. So I had to walk into SCHOOL with the FLU to get my daughter. That was horrible! I wish the nurse didn’t force me to expose hundreds of kids to the flu.
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96% of school nurses agree that when a child comes to school sick, other children tend to catch his or her virus. What about a parent with the flu? Ugh!
Cold and the flu can’t always be avoided. There is some things you can do to help shorten it’s duration and feel less miserable. These tips are compliments of Kleenex.
The Center for Disease Control recommends facial tissues as one of the key strategies to minimize cold and flu viruses.
Boost your immune system with Vitamin D – enjoying a little sunshine can help.
To help reduce your fever, put wet towels around your shoulders instead of your forehead.
Avoid using humidifiers when you’re sick – they can actually spread the flu germs.
Not all liquids hydrate equally – stick to water, herbal tea and fruit juice when you’re sick.
I did not know that about humidifiers. We actually have one in our living room. I keep it on to help our asthmatic cat. Maybe I need to turn it off until cold and flu season is long gone.
Here is another icky fact – All colds are contagious, regardless of mucus color. Gross!
To help you prepare you and your family against colds and the flu Kleenex has launched a site called achoo by Kleenex to help predict when the cold and flu will hit your area. Obviously it’s not a precise predicting, but at least it will give you a general idea when its on it’s way and when you should prepare for the worse and hope for the best.
achoo by Kleenex cold and flu predictor is a proprietary and exclusive forecasting model based on the most relevant information from a range of sources, such as official CDC flu statistics, weather patterns, online search queries, social media discussion, OTC drug sales in various categories, bird migration patterns, air travel patterns, vaccination rates, vaccination campaigns and major public events that could increase transmission rates. The result is a one-of-a-kind cold and flu tool that predicts where it will hit next up to three weeks in advance with an average accuracy rate of more than 90 percent, going well beyond the “current status” that other sources provide and giving consumers an opportunity to prepare for cold and flu before it hits their area.
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The site is very easy to use. Simply enter in your zip code and the site will let you know when the cold or flu might hit your area. As per the site we’re OK for the next three weeks (we’re at low risk) however in 21 days that moves up to moderate. So that tells me in the next three weeks I need to prepare for the possibility that myself or someone in my family can become sick.
Don’t get caught unprepared. Make sure you stock up on the essentials you’ll need to help you and your family should the cold or flu invade your home. Stock up on any over the counter medications you might need, vitamins, juice, easy to prepare meals and most importantly plenty of Kleenex tissues.
Have you ever run out of tissues? We have. Normally we grab toilet paper. If that is not available we use paper towels, which are not always nice on your nose (paper towels can be rough).
You need tissues to not only clean of noses but also to protect others from the cold or flu. Kleenex brand’s new thicker and more absorbent everyday tissue is a great option because it provides exceptional hand protection by helping to keep hands clean and dry. Make sure you always wash your hands after blowing your nose or sneezing too, just to be on the safe side. You want to make sure there are no lingering germs.
What happens when you are out and about and don’t have any tissues?
Check out this interesting video where Ali Wentworth hit the streets of Chicago to not only spread the word about cold and flu preparation but also to ask random people about their most embarrassing moments when they were caught without Kleenex tissues.
I would never use my sleeve! Just the idea of that grosses me out. Ewwww!
Knowing when the colds or the flu might hit is not enough. You need to be prepared.
Kleenex has some additional tips and advice you might want to check out. To learn more visit www.Kleenex.com or www.Kleenex.com/Flu.
You can also find the brand on Facebook and Twitter.
What do YOU do if you are caught without Kleenex tissue and you really need some?
Do you have any additional tips to share about how to minimize or prevent the cold or flu? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
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Kimberly
*I am participating in a sponsored campaign for Kleenex however all my opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
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