Too bad for her poor colleagues who have to combat with her viruses
On a typical Monday morning on the bus, people were packed like sardines, on their way to work.
The movements of an old man caught my eye. He was sneezing and coughing so profusely that I could see his specks of spit flying from his mouth. The poor commuters next to him were covering their mouths and turning their heads away.
Much as I sympathise with old guy, I could not help feeling indignant. Germs and viruses are spread through such inconsiderate behaviour. That's because droplets containing the germs from the infected person gets into the air and are inhaled by people nearby. Since this time of the year (May to July) is the flu season, it is all the more important for us to be considerate to those around us when we are sick. Just because a cold is non-life threatening does not mean one should be careless about it.
Furthermore, many people often confuse cold and influenza. The two bear similar symptoms and often strike together, but the main difference between these two is that the flu, or short for influenza, can be deadly as it infects the lungs, joints and can cause pneumonia and respiratory failure, while a common cold is characterised by runny nose, cough, fever and sore throat.
H1N1 (commonly known as the swine flu) is an example of influenza that flu patients in Singapore have been diagnosed with and even died from. The 2009-2010 'swine flu' pandemic had killed more than 14,000 people worldwide.
Singapore is densely populated and a popular tourist spot or stopover, making the transmission of viruses from one country to a piece of cake. The common cold is not so dangerous, but how can we be safe from contracting the comparatively more dangerous flu?
1. Get vaccinated.
A vaccine can boost one’s immune system by introducing a little bit of weak or dead germs that cause the flu so that your body can build its own antibodies without being sick from the germ, and eventually fight off this germ.
For those who fear needles, a new painless flu vaccination has just arrived at our shores. How is it painless, you may ask. “The intradermal microinjection system is administered only one to two millimetres into the skin,” according to a health article from medical website Yourhealth. This reduces the stress and fear of pain that steers us away from getting ourselves vaccinated.
Washing your hands thoroughly with soap after handling something helps to get rid of the germs on your hands. Hastily running water and soap over your hands is not enough. You need to rinse every creak and corner of your hands thoroughly, using these eight steps shown on the Health Promotion Board website. If soap or the washroom is unavailable, use portable hand sanitizers, which you can carry around with you and use any time, any where. This is definitely something you want to carry use you take the train, what with so many people touching the railings and bars.
3. Seek treatment as soon as symptoms set in.
If find yourself developing symptoms of cold or flu, visit the doctor and get yourself treated to prevent your condition from worsening or spreading to your family and friends.
4. Be considerate.
If you are already sick, it is important to cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or mask to prevent your virus spreading through the tiny droplets of saliva that escape from your mouth with each sneeze and cough. Bring tissue paper with you so that you can wipe your mucus and spit your phlegm into it. More importantly, throw that tissue into the bin instead of putting it into your pocket.
Think about it this way. Singapore is so small, when more people get infected, the effects of the flu virus gets more extensive. Eventually, it could strike your loved one, or even come back to you when you’ve recovered.
Written by: Veronica Tay
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