Flu Season Information 

Flu season is fast approaching, and it is important that parents everywhere are aware of the flu and the proper precautions that can be taken to keep them and those around them healthy. It is not possible to predict what this flu season will be like. While flu spreads every year, the timing, severity, and length of the season varies from one year to another. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the U.S. in January or February. However, seasonal flu activity can begin as early as October and continue to occur as late as May. Here are some great tips to keep yourself and others around you healthy:

• Wash, rinse, repeat: "The number one thing you can do to protect yourself from a cold or the flu is to wash your hands," says microbiologist Andrew Pekosz, of Johns Hopkins University. Lather up with running water and soap (antibacterial soaps are no better than the regular stuff), and scrub your palms, between your fingers, and the backs of your hands for a minimum of 20 seconds. In a pinch, you can use hand sanitizer that's at least 60% alcohol, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Moisturize your air: Turns out, very humid air may be toxic to flu viruses. Scientists aren't quite sure why, but one possibility is that the droplets that contain the virus shrink quickly in arid environments, allowing them to float around longer; in moist air environments, those same droplets might remain heavy and fall to the floor faster. 
• Don't rely on C: Though it's been touted as a cold fighter, Vitamin C has never been proven to fend off a cold or the flu. 
• Sleep More: People who routinely get fewer than seven hours of shut-eye a night triple their risk of developing a cold rather than those who doze for eight or more hours. When you're sleep deprived, your body may produce too many cytokines, the proteins that trigger cold symptoms when your sick. 
• Taste the rainbow: Immune-boosting antioxidants in brightly colored fruits and veggies battle the free radicals that dampen your natural defenses. Eat plenty of fare such as red beans and berries (the brighter the hue, the higher the antioxidant count) and drink green tea. 

For more information on this topic, please visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/

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