If you’ve been sick and get up ready to head out to a family Thanksgiving celebration, you might want to think about staying home. Iowa Department of Health State Medical Director, Patricia Quinlisk, says you could be taking more than your favorite pie to relatives. Quinlisk says if you have the flu you could spread it to family members, especially if you are inside with them all day.

“When it is cold out we tend shut our windows — therefore the ventilation factor just goes down — and our air is more stagnant. So if somebody coughs in the air, it sticks around longer, and you are more likely to breathe it in,” Quinlisk says. Doctor Quinlisk says the cold weather adds another factor that may help the spread of the flu.
She says the amount of humidity in the air goes down when it is cold and our nasal membranes and throats get dry. “And the drier they are, the more susceptible they are for the influenza virus invading into our body,” Quinlisk explains. You may love the closeness of family during the holiday, but the closeness can put you at a greater risk.

“Once you are closer to people, well then you are more likely to be within three to five feet of somebody when they’ve got the flu,” Quinlisk says. Being that close means you are in the perfect range of a flu laden cough. Quinlisk says the best advice is to stay home if you are sick. You might miss out on the holiday, but you will keep your friends and relatives from picking up your sickness. If you got a flu shot early this week, you may still not be safe from getting the flu.

“Basically you start getting immunity as soon as you get vaccinated, but it could take up to two weeks to have full immunity,” Quinlisk says. If you got the flu shot beyond that two-week window, Quinlisk says this year’s shot should do a good job of protecting you. And she says continued good personal hygiene that includes washing your hands will help you keep from attracting or spreading the flu.

(Radio Iowa)