How to Prevent the Flu Virus this Winter

The dreaded flu virus.  Have you ever noticed that “flu season” occurs during the fall and winter when the air is dry?  That is because humidity affects the spread of the flu.  When the air is dry, flu particles can remain infectious for longer.  According to a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The virus just falls apart,” at high humidity levels, said study researcher John Noti, of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Weather Channel:  What Does Humidity Have to Do with the Flu?)

If you have ever had the flu virus, you know how awful it is.  You feel miserable, it can knock you out for weeks, and for some people, it can even be life threatening.  That is why we try so hard to prevent the spread of the flu through the flu vaccine, frequent hand washing, and covering our mouths when sneezing.  These findings about humidity give us another way to protect ourselves from the flu virus.

Humidifiers can allow our homes to not get too dry and therefore reduce the spread of the flu.  Portable humidifiers are one option for adding humidity to your home.  They can easily be picked up at the drug store, but they need to be frequently cleaned & refilled and they can often only humidify one room.

If you would like to raise the humidity levels throughout your entire home without needing a humidifier in each room, you may want to consider a whole home humidifier.  These are installed right in your duct work and are controlled via a humidistat – so you can control the amount of humidity.  Whole home humidifiers also require less maintenance.

It is important to remember that though having a humidifier may reduce your chances of getting the flu virus this winter, you should still remember to follow all of the other preventative measures.  If you would like to learn more about whole home humidifiers, contact FLAME!