By Cecilia Nasmith
The Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit has confirmed the arrival of influenza in our region, just as holiday festivities and schedules also arrive.
Northumberland Hills Hospital has issued its annual reminder to take extra precautions and plan ahead (whenever possible) to help ensure local health-care services are accessible for those who need them the most.
They also share seven steps everyone can take to ensure a healthy start to the winter.
1 – Wash your hands. Often! This reduces your risk of picking up unwanted germs that live on surfaces, especially we you are out in public. Regular proper hand hygiene is the single most effective step you can take to stop the spread of seasonal viruses, and you can find a video with tips for proper hand hygiene at the health unit's website.
2 – Get your flu shot, and not the flu. This inoculation is recommeded for those aged six months and older. It's free, and it helps protect yourself, your family and your community. Available now at family-physician offices, community health centres, walk-in clinics and pharmacies, it's the best line of defence against a potentially dangerous virus. The health unit's website offers a full list of pharmacies offering flue vaccine, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.
3 – Try to eat well, and keep up a good balance of rest and exercise. A body that's tired and not properly nourished is not at peak performance to fight off germs and harmful bacteria. We can help keep immune systems strong by powering up with a healthy diet, plenty of rest and regular exercise. Check the health unit website for resources on healthy eating, including a link to Canada's food guides.
4 – Do your sneezing and coughing into a tissue or your sleeve, instead of your hand. This minimizes the risk of spreading germs to surfaces you touch.
5 – Stay home if you are sick. This time of rest can sometimes be the fastest way to improve your health, but it also minimizes the spread of germs to others at work, school and public events. Influenza spreads through such person-to-person contact as handshakes and coughs, and it is easy to pass it along unwittingly. Unfortunately, those on the receiving end may be older adults, very young children or those with compromised immune systems.
6 – Find out your doctor's or nurse-practitioner's holiday hours now, and plan ahead if possible to ensure your family's prescriptions are up-to-date (and to minimize chances of a non-urgent trip to the ER).
7 – Plan now for emergency-department alternatives. Many local family physicians operate after-hours clinics for their patients only, and now is the time to get the details. If your situation is not urgent and your family physician isn't available, there are alternatives like the free round-the-clock telephone access to a registered nurse at Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000 or TTY 1-866-797-0007). The Port Hope walk-in clinic at 99 Toronto Rd. (second floor) will be closed on Mondays, as well as on Dec. 25 and 26 and on Jan. 1. Otherwise, it is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays (at the discretion of the physician on duty each day). For a detailed listing of health and community services available, visit http://www.centraleasthealthline.ca/.
