Health
How to Stay Healthy This Fall and Winter
Health Points
- Viruses spread more easily indoors during colder seasons, increasing the risk for respiratory illnesses like the flu, RSV, and COVID-19.
- Vaccination is a key defense, especially for older adults and those with chronic health conditions.
- Practicing good hygiene and keeping indoor air clean can help protect you and those you love.
As temperatures drop, respiratory viruses become more common, bringing congestion, fever, and other symptoms to millions. Health experts expect higher-than-normal infection rates this season, so prevention is especially important now.
“Fall and winter have been known for decades in the public health and medical community as cold and flu season,” says Robert H. Hopkins, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Get Vaccinated: Protect Yourself and Others
“The best way to prevent influenza, COVID, and RSV is vaccination,” says Hopkins.
Vaccines aren’t perfect, but they significantly lower your risk of serious illness and hospitalization, even if you still catch the virus. For the flu, studies show that most people hospitalized hadn’t gotten their shot beforehand.
Current recommendations say everyone age 6 months and older should receive annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines, with targeted RSV vaccines available for those 75 and older or people as young as 50 with chronic conditions. Pregnant women can get the RSV vaccine late in pregnancy to help protect their newborns. Babies born during RSV season may also be eligible for special antibody protection.
Gina Koch, PhD, director of graduate studies in nursing at Southeast Missouri State University, recommends discussing your vaccine schedule with your healthcare provider, since your needs may vary based on age and health status.
Vaccines are especially important for older adults, young children, people with weakened immune systems, and those managing chronic conditions like heart disease, asthma, or diabetes.
Currently, there’s no vaccine for the common cold because of the sheer number and mutability of cold viruses. “There are too many types of viruses that can cause a cold, and they mutate rapidly,” says Dr. Koch.
Practice Effective Hygiene and Keep Surfaces Clean
Respiratory viruses pass from person to person through tiny droplets in the air and by landing on surfaces and hands. Viruses can linger on surfaces for hours, so proper hygiene matters.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and clean frequently touched surfaces with standard household cleaners.
“Keep in mind that antibacterial soaps and cleaners have no benefit over regular soaps and cleaners with regard to respiratory viruses,” Koch says.
Enhance indoor air quality by opening windows, using fans, or running HEPA air filters, especially in shared spaces.
If Someone in Your Home Gets Sick
If a household member shows symptoms like fever, chills, or cough, get them tested for respiratory viruses. Quick testing can guide treatment, such as antivirals for the flu, and help reduce spread in your household.
While they recover, limit close contact and do your best to isolate the sick person in a separate room. Combined at-home tests for flu and COVID-19 are now available over the counter, though RSV tests are not yet sold for home use.
This season, a few preventive steps go a long way to help everyone stay safer and healthier. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best strategies—and enjoy the months ahead with greater peace of mind.
