Influenza (Flu): Prevention

Influenza vaccination (flu shot) is the most important and effective preventive measure. Prevention of influenza (flu) further requires attention to reducing individual risk factors. Behavioral risk factors

  • Diet
    • Micronutrient deficiency (vital substances) – see Prevention with micronutrients.
  • Consumption of stimulants
    • Tobacco (smoking) – increases oxidative stress, weakens the immune system, and damages the respiratory system
  • Avoid contact with ill persons in the phase of infection (seasonal influenza; influenza virus-A infection). This phase begins shortly before the onset of the first symptoms and usually persists for up to five days. Transmission usually occurs by droplet infection, less frequently by direct contact with the virus, for example, through hand contact.
  • Contact with birds, especially chickens and waterfowl (due topandemic influenza; so-called “bird flu“; avian influenza).

Preventive measures

  • Hand washing (under running water with soap and water (for at least 15-20 seconds); soaping hands well and then rinsing off the soap scum thoroughly; if necessary, hand disinfection afterwards)
    • Always after:
      • Direct contact with other people
      • Coming home
      • Coughing and sneezing
      • Blowing the nose
      • Going to the toilet
      • Contact with animals
    • Always before:
      • Food preparation
      • The food
  • Avoid shaking hands and hugging as a greeting.
  • Keep your distance from people who are coughing or sneezing.
  • Turn away when coughing or sneezing, if possible sneeze into the crook of the elbow.
  • Touch as little as possible your mouth, nose or eyes with your own hands.
  • Nasal-mouth protection (MNS): wearing MNS by all members in the household and the sick themselves. A study to understand the transmission routes of the influenza virus was able to demonstrate that even in the exhaled air of influenza-infected people, collected without coughing and sneezing, could be detected amounts of virus sufficient to infect.
  • Hand disinfection: saliva apparently protects influenza viruses from the action of a disinfectant. Only after 240 seconds, the sole rubbing of hands with an ethanol-based disinfectant, which had contact with infected saliva, leads to complete inactivation of all influenza viruses.
  • Baloxavir (virustatic agent):After a single dose, only 7 of 374 patients (1.9%) treated with baloxavir developed laboratory-confirmed influenza, compared with 51 of 375 patients (13.6%) in the placebo group.Note: Future mutations may render this agent insensitive to viruses; viral escape mutants have already been detected.