How to Fight Back When a Virus Attacks

Dec. 8 -- The cold and flu bugs are swarming.

This year, there will be 1 billion colds and 95 million cases of the flu in the United States alone. But while a billion colds is a statistic, two colds — the likely number you’ll catch this winter — is a tragedy. Getting sick just twice can put you weeks behind at work and in the gym. It’s also a leading cause of being quarantined in the spare room.

Sorry, science doesn’t have a cure yet. But doctors have figured out how these viruses conspire to make you feel lousy. Thwart the bugs’ insidious game plan and you’ll not only get sick less often, but also bounce back faster. So have a look at the sad, sniveling life of a common virus, then take the necessary steps to squash it like the bug that it is.

A Question of Contact

If your partner starts sneezing, the fellow in the next cubicle begins hacking like a coal miner, or the kids run a fever, heighten your alert. They might be packing a cold or flu virus, one of a horde of strains that plague people all winter. Those bugs want you next, but there are only three ways to get in: your nose, mouth, and eyes.

Your Best Defense: Keep your hands clean. Viruses are often passed from an infected person to a phone receiver or some other surface that other people touch. In the case of the flu, they fly through the air and stick to things. To keep a virus from latching on to you, wash your paws every time you shake hands or wipe your kid’s nose.

InvasionToo bad you didn’t duck when your kid coughed, or wash up before licking your fingers during that fried-chicken lunch. Within minutes, the virus you picked up or inhaled has settled into its spacious new home: you. Don’t worry; it’s not too late to ward off trouble.

Your Best Defense:First, get a flu shot. Second, from September through March — prime cold and flu season — drink even more water than usual. The mucous membranes that line the upper respiratory tract, one of your body’s first defenses, work best when thoroughly moist, says Dr. Mary Hardy of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day is the minimum; drink more and you’re ahead of the game.