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Flu Free in ’23 is the way to be! By maintaining our own health, we help protect our loved ones, support our colleagues, and ensure care delivery to the patients who depend on us during flu season and every day. Take the following steps to reduce your risk of contracting flu: 

• Get vaccinated. Getting influenza/flu vaccination is the best way to prevent flu and its complications. The CDC recommends  annual flu vaccination for everyone ages six months or older. Flu vaccination can lower your risk of getting flu, and it also can lower the risk of having serious illness from flu. By getting vaccinated, you are also protecting people around you, including those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, including babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions. 
  
  Flu vaccines are free for all UVA Health team members, and vaccination is mandatory for all Tier 1 UVA Health team members. Please refer to  Health System Policy OCH-002  to find out if you are a Tier 1 team member. The deadline for UVA Health team member annual flu shot compliance is Wednesday, Nov. 15. 
  
  To learn more about where you can get your flu vaccination and common questions, click here.  

• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub. 

• Cover coughs and sneezes. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. 

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. 

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you are sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. 

• Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with viruses that cause flu. 

• Practice good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. 

Thank you for doing your part to be Flu Free in ’23!