Flu and Pneumonia Prevention

As we get into the winter season, the flu becomes more common and an ever present danger. While people worry about Ebola, the flu is much more likely to spread and it kills thousands of people a year, every year. The flu, back in 1918-19, killed roughly 25 million people.

Flu and Pneumonia as a Public Health Problem

The flu is essentially a lung infection, as well as a chest infection, and in its most serious form it can become pneumonia. When you get the flu, or pneumonia, your lungs are becoming inflamed from the infection. This can also cause you to vomit. With pneumonia, the air sacs in your lungs fill with liquid and pus, which can interfere with your lung’s ability to transfer oxygen to your blood. Before the 1930s and the creation of antibiotics, the flu and pneumonia was the leading cause of death among humans. Today, it is very treatable but is still a public health problem.

How To Prevent Flu and Pneumonia

If you want to prevent the flu or pneumonia, you need to be proactive. In order to deal with it, you should do the following:

First, you need to keep your immune system strong. The stronger your immune system is, the better off it will be to fight the various attacks from the outside world. Keeping your immune system strong is not hard. You need to be at a healthy weight for your height, eat healthy and exercise. You should also stop killing all the bacteria in your home with household chemicals. Doing so keeps your immune system from staying strong because there is nothing to fight.
Getting vaccinated is also important. If you get vaccinated, you are giving your immune system an extra shot of power. Doing so is the single best thing you can do to prevent the flu and pneumonia.
If you feel yourself getting sick, see your doctor immediately so he or she can administer treatment. The sooner you get treatment, the better you will handle the infection.

The flu can become serious and evolve into pneumonia, so it is important you are proactive in prevention steps.