Winter Campaign
The NSW Health Winter Campaign aims to reinforce healthy messages to keep people well and avoid illnesses such as colds and flu this winter.
Public health experts estimate that each year hundreds of thousands of people in NSW will get seasonal influenza.
Influenza is a debilitating disease – it is more than a common cold. It is a highly contagious disease spread from person to person through droplets expelled from an infected person’s cough or sneeze.
Symptoms include fever, body aches, exhaustion, sore throat, headache and cough – if struck down by the “flu” a person usually needs a few days of bed rest to recover.
Influenza is largely preventable.
These easy steps can reduce your risk of exposure and help stop the spread of the disease if you have symptoms:
1. When you cough or sneeze, step away from other people and cover your nose and mouth.
2. Wash your hands regularly with soap and running water for at least 10 seconds, especially after coughing or sneezing, to reduce the spread of infection.
3. Get a flu shot – ask your GP about a flu shot – if you are over 65 it’s free. For Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders over 50 the flu shot is free.
You should stay home if you have influenza.
And remember, minor illnesses can be treated by a GP – save the emergency department for emergencies.
More information on Influenza
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/infectious/influenza.html