Flu: What You Can Do — Caring for People at Home
This year’s flu season is turning out to be a tough one. Still, the single best way to protect yourself from getting sick is by getting vaccinated — even if you got the flu shot last year. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older receive a flu vaccine every year.
But what if you or a family member comes down with the flu? Now there’s an informational resource available on how to care for flu patients at home. It’s a brochure called Flu: What You Can Do, and it explains basic concepts such as
- What’s the difference between a cold and the flu
- How to keep from getting or spreading the flu (hint: wash your hands, cover your cough or sneeze, get a flu shot, and stay home if you’re sick)
- How to care for someone who has the flu
- When you should call the doctor, or seek immediate assistance through 911
Flu: What You Can Do is available at no cost in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian, Khmer, and Chinese. All versions are available for immediate download or in hard copy format here.
For more information about flu, flu vaccine, and other ways that you and your family can stay healthy this flu season, please visit www.mass.gov/flu or call the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Immunization Program at 617-983-6800.
