How to Protect yourself from Viruses

With the coronavirus becoming an epidemic, we thought it would be a good time to discuss how to protect yourself from viruses. Viruses can be very dangerous and can sometimes be life threatening. Risk of contracting the coronavirus right now is low as it is being contained in the U.S., but you should not let your guard down. It is good to know how to protect yourself from these deadly viruses to prevent the harmful effects from happening to you.

For some viruses you can get a preventative vaccine shot from your doctor. These shots inject a small amount of the dead virus into your immune system so it can prepare for if the live version of the virus ever gets in your system. These vaccine shots are not an absolute cure, but they can lessen the impact of the virus or help you fight it off quicker without becoming seriously ill. There are tons of viruses out there so taking a shot for one specific one is not enough and does not make you immune to all viruses. New infections like the coronavirus don’t even have a vaccine for it yet so it is important to follow other steps of prevention and not just this one.

Once you are updated with all your shots, it is important to supplement that with washing your hands and staying away from people who have similar symptoms to a virus. Washing your hands is the best thing you can do as it kills all the bad germs you encounter throughout your day. You should also avoid touching your face, as this is the easiest way to contract a virus. Additionally, it is important to stay away from people who show signs of sickness, like coughing. A lot of viruses can be spread through the air, so you don’t even have to touch someone to get a virus.

Common signs of infection from a virus, like the coronavirus, include fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. If you have any of these symptoms, please seek your doctor immediately.

For more information on how to protect yourself from viruses, click here.

Article written by William Graves.