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Staying healthy at home
Anyone can prevent getting an infection and different seasons bring different risks of infection. Download the Staying healthy at home fact sheet.
Spring and summer healthy
These are the seasons where we get out of the house and head to the parks, beaches and pools to enjoy family time in the open. The smell of barbeques is in the air. And we see shared picnics on the sandy beaches and grassy parks. It also the time of gastroenteritis (norovirus, rotavirus, etc), food poisoning (salmonella, etc), and mosquito borne diseases (Ross River virus, dengue fever, etc).
Preventing infections
Food safety:
- Prepare foods safely
- Cook foods thoroughly
- Store foods at safe temperatures
- Transport food safely
- Store food safely
For more information on food safety, see our Food safety resource.
Mosquito borne diseases:
- Use personal ‘tropical strength’ insect repellents
- Use a plug-in insect zapper indoors
- Use mosquito coils indoors and outdoors
- When looking for accommodation, choose screened or air-conditioned properties
- At home, close screen doors and windows
- Get rid of any containers that old water, where mosquitoes like to breed
- Empty paddling pools at the end of the day
- Keep swimming pools chlorinated
- Put screens over inlets in rain water tanks
- Wear long, loose clothing outdoors
- When camping, sleep under a mosquito net and zip up tents
For more information, visit Queensland Health’s Mosquito borne diseases page.
Autumn and winter healthy
These are the seasons where we get back into the house and turn up the heat using our air-conditioners, gas heaters or log fires. It’s also the time when we get close and confined and love to share. It’s the time of colds and flus, as well as pneumonias.
Most cases of influenza occur within a six to eight-week period during winter and early spring. Each year, there are over 80,000 GP visits due to flu in Australia.
Preventing infections
Seasonal influenza:
- Vaccination is the best prevention for the flu and is recommended for everyone over 6 months of age.
- Annual influenza vaccination should occur anytime from April onwards to be protected for the peak flu season, which is generally June to September.
- The highest level of protection occurs in the first 3 to 4 months following vaccination, however it is never too late to vaccinate since influenza can circulate in the community all year round.
- Practice good hand hygiene.
- Wear a face mask indoors.
- Stay away from other people and refrain from visiting high-risk places such as hospitals and aged care settings.
- Stay home from work and keep children home from school.
Colds
- Stay away from other people to keep the cold virus from spreading.
- Cover your mouth when coughing and sneeze into your elbow.
- Throw away tissues as soon as you have used them and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Stay home from work and keep home from school until recovered/no longer infectious.
For more information on influenza and colds, see our Seasonal influenza and colds resource.