It’s no secret that the flu is intense and widespread this year. And, unfortunately, doctors and nurses are at ground zero. They’re regularly and repeatedly exposed to the flu from sick patients who visit their offices, emergency rooms, and urgent care facilities. It makes sense, then, that they would know the best way to avoid contracting the flu, right?
We spoke with medical experts in private practices, ERs, hospitals, and urgent care facilities around the country to find out how they protect themselves from the flu—and how you can, too.
1. First and foremost: Get your flu shot.
This is the No.1 thing doctors say they do and recommend for others. “We hear all kinds of reasons people refuse to vaccinate themselves or family, but it’s something that doctors consistently practice as a means of reducing their risk of acquiring illnesses that can be prevented,” Jonathan Zipkin, M.D., an internist at Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care in New York City, tells SELF. Most doctors make sure their entire family is vaccinated as well for added protection. “I got the flu vaccine, as did my wife, and our two young children,” Richard R. Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician in Akron, Ohio, and an associate professor at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, tells SELF.
But they acknowledge that the shot isn’t perfect. “I got my flu shot, but I realize that this year isn’t as effective as most,” Susan Besser, M.D., a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, tells SELF. On any given year the flu shot is about 40 to 60 percent effective at reducing your risk of the flu when the vaccine is a good match for the virus strains that are circulating in the population, per the CDC. That’s the catch—it’s not always a good match, which can dramatically lower the shot’s effectiveness. According to current estimates from the CDC, this year’s shot is about 30 percent effective against the dominant strain of the virus.
While you can get the flu shot and still contract the flu (Dr. Watkins says it happened to a friend and fellow infectious disease doctor this year), the odds of having serious complications like pneumonia go down when you have the shot, Russ Kino, M.D., medical director of the Weingart Foundation Emergency Department at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., tells SELF.
2. Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer—a lot.
“I use Purell before and after every single patient encounter,” Dr. Zipkin says. Frequent handwashing and using hand sanitizer is one of the best things you can do to lower your risk of contracting the flu, Dr. Kino says. Given that people are contagious with the flu a day before they start to have symptoms, practicing good hand hygiene—even if you think you’re around healthy people—is super important
The flu is spread through droplets that are made when a person talks, coughs, or sneezes, per the CDC. And, while you can breathe those droplets in, they can also land on surfaces that you can touch and then unintentionally put in your own mouth or nose. So, constant hand hygiene is key.
3. Touch your face as little as possible.
This is another huge one. Since you can get the flu after touching an infected surface and then touching your nose or mouth, it’s an easy way to spread the infection. “I never touch my face, and this is really important at work,” Dr. Zipkin says. “It has taken me years to train my hands to never touch my face while I am work without first washing them, in an effort to reduce the chance of depositing germs directly into entry-points of infection.” Not touching your face is up there in importance with washing your hands, Dr. Kino says, which is why he tries to avoid doing it as much as possible, too.
Another thing to consider: Your lip balm. It might be best to opt for something in a tube during flu season vs. something that you need to use your finger to apply to your lips.
4. Consider wearing a face mask when you’re around sick people.
Doctors are mixed on using face masks when they’re seeing patients. The CDC recommends wearing a face shield, eye protection, or mask when dealing with flu patients (and also recommends that patients wear a mask when they leave the room where they’re being treated). “When I have a patient with uncontrolled coughing or sneezing I will wear a mask,” Dr. Zipkin says. “But more often I will ask the patient to wear a mask to protect other patients and prevent the deposit of germs on surrounding surfaces.”
But Dr. Kino says he usually doesn’t wear a mask because “it isn’t great from a customer service point of view. Then they worry that you’re sick and don’t want to be exposed to your illness.” However, he says he would wear one if he knew that a patient definitely had the flu. “With most patients who come in feeling sick, you don’t really know what they’ve got,” he says. Dr. Besser also points out that if you’re going to wear a mask (at least, in a medical setting), you really need to do it all the time. Otherwise, you end up touching your face more than usual, which can increase your risk of contracting the flu.
The mask has some benefits for the general public, though. For instance, if you’re taking care of a sick family member at home with the flu, it might be helpful to wear a mask (along with washing your hands frequently), Dr. Watkins says. And, if you have flu symptoms, it’s important to wear a mask to try to lower the odds that you’ll spread it to others.
5. Try to avoid people who are coughing.
That’s easier said than done when you actually need to treat these patients “but I still I try to keep people from coughing on me,” Dr. Besser says.
Given that the flu is passed on by coming into contact with droplets from an infected person, having someone who is sick directly cough on you dramatically increases the odds that you’ll also get sick, Kristine Arthur, M.D., an internist at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., tells SELF. “Sneezing and coughing is one of the quickest ways to transmit a virus as it helps it travel even farther faster,” she says. “You are probably most likely to get sick if you sit close to someone who is coughing and sneezing.” So, if at all possible to move away from the person violently coughing on the bus, do so.
6. Steer clear of your doctor’s office and ER unless you really have to go.
Obviously doctors are kind of SOL in this department, but they say it’s best for people who don’t work in a medical setting to avoid putting yourself in places where the flu is definitely going to be, if you can. During the height of flu season, it’s worth calling your doctor’s office to see if they’d consider doing a phone consultation in certain circumstances, if appropriate—for instance, if you’re pretty positive you have a UTI or you just need a prescription refill.
If you have an annual checkup at your primary care physician’s office but you feel pretty healthy at the moment, it’s not a bad idea to try to reschedule it for a few months from now, Dr. Kino says. “Try to push doctor’s visits back if you can, and stay away from hospitals, ERs, and urgent cares unless you really need to go to them,” he says.
If you have to go the ER (where there’s a high likelihood that you’ll come into contact with someone with the flu), Dr. Besser says it’s “reasonable” to wear a face mask to protect yourself. Many ERs and doctor’s offices have them available at the front desk, and wearing one—along with practicing good hand hygiene—can lower your risk of contracting the flu.
Listen, sometimes you can do all the right things and still contract the flu—especially if you live or work in a place where you’re regularly exposed to lots and lots of people in close quarters. But doctors say that following these guidelines are your best bet when it comes to reducing your risk of exposure and helping to minimize the spread of the virus. Stay safe out there.
