CRH offers tips on preventing respiratory illnesses

Columbus Regional Health is offering tips on how you can avoid one of the many respiratory illnesses circulating in the community, whether it is COVID, the flu or RSV.

According to the hospital, respiratory illnesses are caused by viruses or sometimes bacteria. They commonly affect the nasal passages, sinuses, and lungs, causing breathing issues, inflammation, congestion, fever, fatigue and other aches and pains.

They say that there are several steps to take to help protect yourself or your loved ones.

First is keeping up with annual fall and winter immunizations. All three of the major respiratory diseases now have vaccines available to help prevent the illness in the first place or help you fight it off if you do catch COVID, the flu or RSV.

If you do catch an illness, treatments are available for flu and COVID that can help reduce the chances of severe illness, hospitalization or even death.

You can also take quick and easily available tests that will reveal the presence of the respiratory diseases. This can help you get started on a treatment earlier to help your self and protect others.

You should also continue to use common sense methods to avoid these diseases such as washing you hands, keeping your distance, wearing an appropriate mask and even improving the airflow where people live and work.

Health officials say the rapid rise in cases is causing doctor visits for flu related symptoms to reach their highest in 15 years. The CDC estimates there have been 24 million cases of the flu this season causing more than 300-thousand hospitalizations and 13-thousand deaths.

If you have any questions you should contact your primary care provider. You can also get more information online at crh.org