Don't Want The Flu? Avoid Your Kids, And Other Helpful Tips

It happens every year. You visit your family and friends over the holidays, and come home sick as a dog. The fear is real this year with the flu already widespread in almost two dozen states. And as Americans travel in airports and make their usual stops along the road, flu bugs are just waiting to jump onto you like a tick and suck out your will to live.

Getting a flu shot is a good idea, but with only hours before you hit the road, that’s not going to help you much — plus it takes about two weeks for the antibodies to kick in and insulate you. And the flu vaccination isn’t very effective this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Short of wrapping yourself in bubble wrap and poking out air holes so you can breathe, what should you do to avoid the flu? One obvious answer is to wash your hands. If all you did was touch a doorknob, wash your hands. Wash your hands like you have OCD.

Here are nine tips to avoid getting the flu:

1. Don't kiss anyone but the dog. When you see mistletoe, run and hide.

2. Bring your own food. Sit alone away from the kids’ table. Really, don’t even look at them. Insist the kids wear masks when they’re not eating.

3. Don’t double dip in the dip. If you see someone double dipping, drop kick them. Likewise, give the heave-ho to anyone who drinks directly from the eggnog carton.

4. Don’t touch Uncle Hank’s hanky. Avoid it like the plague it is. Ask him to store it in Ziploc bag when he’s not blowing his schnoz. Do not kiss Uncle Hank.

5. Bring your own soap and hand towels. You don’t want to know how many germs are clinging to soap bars and towels, conspiring to beat you at your own game to crush them.

6. Switch up your gifts this year and give hand sanitizer. Insist your guests try it out immediately.

7. Pick the biggest germ-phobic at your gathering and put that person in charge of disinfecting the TV remote — again and again and again.

8. Flush the toilet with your foot. We recommend this on general principle.

9. Seriously, follow this practical tip: Open a door with your elbow or arm or use your sleeve to turn a door handle.

The flu is an especially big deal this year, striking early. It’s already widespread in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Here are some more things to know about the flu:

The flu is spread through droplets in the air and through droplets and secretions present on surfaces like doorknobs. Dr. David Barlas, an emergency room physician at NYU Langone, told Patch washing hands with soap and water is the best way to kill flu germs where they land, but alcohol sanitizer is also effective. Barlas said the sanitizer should have at least 60 percent alcohol and that can be used for sanitizing on the go.

Barlas says things like door handles, faucets, utensils and even menus in restaurants are all items that have been touched by hundreds of people in a day. You’ll have to touch some of them just to get through the day, but wash your hands or sanitize them after you do, Barlas says.

If you already have the flu and can’t or won’t stay home, try to stay off airplanes and drive instead, Barlas says.

And, of course, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing or, better, lean into your elbow so your hands don't become a science project of germs.

People who have the flu should try to avoid those most likely to develop serious complications, including infants, the elderly and people with depressed immune systems.

Have some surgical masks, available at most drug stores, on hand and ask sick folks to them to strap them on. If possible, insist they use a different bathroom than your other guests, Barlas says.

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