Each year, winter brings a variety of sicknesses. Approaching this season, preventative and recovery measures are essential.

Avoiding the flu season

Flu season emerges every year around November and continues throughout the winter months. 

Here are preventative measures to avoid being infected:

1. Get your annual flu vaccine, the most effective preventive measure.
2. Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
3. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and avoid close contact with the sick.
4. Maintain a balanced diet, adequate sleep and regular exercise to strengthen immunity.
5. Disinfect high-touch surfaces like phones, doorknobs and keyboards regularly.

If you are already sick with the flu, here are steps you may take to recover and avoid infecting others:

1. Stay home and rest: Avoid contact with others for at least 24 hours after your fever subsides.
2. Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids (water, herbal tea, broth) to prevent dehydration.
3. Manage symptoms: Use acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and aches.
4. Antiviral medications like oseltamivir (Tamiflu) may help if started within 48 hours of noticeable sickness.
5. Monitor symptoms: Seek medical help if you have trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness or persistent vomiting.
6. Avoid spreading the virus: Cover coughs, wash hands often and wear a mask around others if needed.

Scoring your sickness symptoms for strep throat

Strep throat is a sore throat with fever caused by streptococcal infection, a bacterial infection, and is treatable by prescribed antibodies. Although strep throat and the flu share many symptoms, the strep throat is considered to be more severe and painful than the flu. How can you tell the difference?

The Centor Score check estimates how likely overlapping symptoms, such as a sore throat, are caused by strep rather than the common flu. You can self check using these five steps:

1. Do you have a fever over 100.4 (+1 point)?
2. Do you have swollen or tender lymph nodes in your neck (+1 point)?
3. Do you have white patches or swelling on your tonsils (+1 point)?
   • Wash your hands and stand in front of a well-lit mirror.
   • Use a clean spoon or tongue depressor to gently press your tongue down.
   • Open your mouth wide and say “ahh” to lift the soft palate.
   • Look for redness, white patches, swelling or pus on the tonsils — signs of possible infection.
4. Do you have no cough (+1 point)?
5. Are you under age 15 (+1 point) or over age 45 (−1 point)?

Score meaning:

0–1 points: Very low chance of strep: no antibiotics needed.

2–3 points: Moderate chance: consider a strep test to confirm.

4–5 points: High chance: see a doctor; antibiotics may be needed.

Different people experience sickness differently: even if you score low on this self-check, consider consulting with a doctor if symptoms are extensive, as health depends on both personal and professional perspectives.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as winter starts

SAD is a type of depression triggered by the reduced sunlight that occurs throughout fall and winter and hormonal changes, often labeled as “winter blues.” Some common symptoms include persistent low mood, fatigue and oversleeping, appetite changes, irritability and feeling sluggish in general.

These are some ways to prevent SAD this season:

1. Use light therapy and be exposed to greater amounts of light in daily life.
2. Take a daily walk to get a change in scenery and breathe in fresh air.
3. Stay physically active and maintain social connections.
4. Seek professional help if symptoms persist.

SAD is often overlooked in society as merely “feeling down because it is winter.” In reality, it is a real and serious problem that around 5% of adults experience; do not ignore indicators of SAD, and work around it.