Tiffany Ludick

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In the midst of an unusually heavy flu season, the Lafayette Children’s Clinic cancelled their office Christmas party in order to see more patients. The clinic’s Nurse Practictioner Tiffany Ludick offered tips for avoiding the flu- beyond the flu vaccine.

“Hand washing,” said Ludick. “That’s probably the biggest thing, especially for kids in schools. We’ve also asked here, that if you have healthy siblings, don’t bring the healthy siblings, only bring the sick child. because we’ll have a sick child and three siblings to come in, and then the following week, we’ll be seing the children that came in healthy the week prior, because they were exposed. So quaranteen.”

Other tips from the Centers for Disease Conrol and Prevention:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
• While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them.