WASHINGTON — The holiday spirit isn’t the only thing in the air — so are tons of germs.
Doctors around the region are seeing more and more cases of viruses like the flu as well other bacteria-borne illnesses.
“The problem with this time of year is we’re just indoors so much and we’re around a lot of people,” said Dr. Rachel Schreiber with Schreiber Allergy in Rockville, Maryland.
Schreiber said her office is seeing cases of the flu, strep throat, stomach viruses, as well people suffering from allergies such as tree pollen.
“Even though the levels of the tree pollens are low, they’re not absent, they’re not gone. So, if you’re sensitive to tree pollen you could still be having symptoms right now,” Schreiber said.
For a person dealing with allergies, inflammation can make it easier to catch the illnesses going around, Schreiber said.
Schreiber said wintertime illnesses usually are caught in two ways: through inhaling droplets in the air or by touching something a sick individual touched before you.
Some best bets for keeping yourself healthy include getting plenty of rest and, as hard as it may be at times, limiting stress.
“Stress can contribute to inflammation and making people feel bad and even making people more susceptible to getting sick,” Schreiber said.
Schreiber said people who have a vitamin deficiency can consider using a multivitamin. For others, Schreiber recommends a healthy diet to get the vitamins a person needs to keep their immune system strong.
Schreiber also recommended frequent and thorough hand washings with soap. When unable to use soap and water, Schreiber recommends carrying around and using hand sanitizer with at least 60-percent alcohol.
For people who become sick, Schreiber said they should try and prevent spreading it by coughing into their elbows and not their hands.
“If you cough or sneeze into your hand and then you touch something, you just left all you germs right there for the next person to pick up,” Schreiber said.
