When an infectious outbreak pops up across the region, what can you do to protect yourself?

An outbreak is the occurrence of more cases of a disease than would normally be expected in a specific place or group of people over a given period of time.

Whether it is the Covid-19 coronavirus, cholera, influenza, or some other infection raging through a population, here are some ways to ensure you have some safety mechanisms in place to safeguard yourself.

Financial Protection: Know Your Insurance Plans

The first step in protecting yourself and your family is to protect from a financial aspect. What can you do to ensure money flow is not significantly impacted by your contracting an infection?

The answer is to not only have sufficient insurance coverage but to also be aware of what exactly is covered.

Questions to ask include:

  • If I am hospitalized, can I claim costs of my pre-hospitalization, hospitalization, and post-hospitalization? If yes, how much?
  • Is the health scare an illness that is covered by my critical illness coverage?
  • If in the unfortunate event of paralysis, permanent disability, or death occurs, will my heirs be given a payout?
  • Is the payout sufficient for my family to function for a few months? Do I need to increase my premium?
  • What processes do I need to adhere to or what documents do I need to provide to ensure the claims are approved?
  • Does your policy cover outbreaks that are classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as epidemics?

Protect Yourself & Others: Practice Good Hygiene and Good Health Habits

Whether the infections are viral (e.g. Covid-19 coronavirus, influenza, hepatitis) or bacterial (e.g. cholera, typhoid) maintaining good hygiene is key to ensuring lesser chance of you picking up germs or you spreading germs. It is good to encourage young children to develop these habits and sometimes even older people may need a reminder.

Good personal hygiene practices include:

  • Washing hands thoroughly
    • After using the toilet.
    • Before preparing food.
    • Before and after eating.
    • After sneezing or coughing.
    • After handling dirty items or substances.
  • Cover nose and mouth with your hand or handkerchief when sneezing or coughing. You may also opt to use your inner elbow.
  • Taking regular showers with soap.
  • Brushing your teeth twice a day.
  • Changing into clean clothes. Dirty laundry should be washed with soap.
  • Keep your hair and nails clean.

Good sanitary habits include:

  • Eat only well-cooked freshly-prepared food cooked in a clean environment.
  • Drink only boiled water or drinks made with boiled water.
  • Avoid breathing in polluted air (e.g. cigarette smoke)
  • Keep your home clean.
  • Avoid touching your face with your hands to reduce chances of germ transfer.
  • Ensure food items are stored in clean containers at the correct temperature.
  • Wear an appropriate face mask depending on the health crisis you are facing (e.g. medical mask for coronavirus, N95 mask for haze)
  • Avoid going out if you don’t feel well, unless going to see the doctor. Nobody else needs to fall sick too.
  • Avoid going near sick people if you can help it. Likewise, avoid visiting hospitals and clinics unless necessary.
  • Reduce exposure to vectors (things that transmit diseases) or instances of vectors. For example, remove stagnant water to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds to reduce chances of dengue, malaria, and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Increase Your Immunity: Stay Healthy, Be Healthier

With a strong immune system, you are less likely to be infected by germs. Even if you do get infected, you have a better chance at fighting the infection.

Get healthier with these health habits to improve your immune system.

1. Exercise Often

  • Exercising regularly (150 minutes or 30mins 5x a week).
  • Doing an exercise that works for you.

2. Eat Healthily

  • Reduce eating fried food. Choose raw (vegetables, fruits), steamed, baked, boiled, or grilled.
  • Reduce eating processed food. Choose real food where possible.
  • Reduce eating food exposed to pesticides, hormone injections, and antibiotics.
  • Reduce eating red meat.
  • Eating 5 servings (80g each) of non-starchy, fruit and vegetables a day.
  • Add more fibre in your diet (30g a day).
  • Balancing nutrition. Take supplements where necessary.
  • Choosing to eat low GI food.
  • Choosing to consume less salt.
  • Choosing to consume less sugar.
  • Eat more anti-inflammatory foods.
  • Eating regular meals.
  • Finding out what eating habits work best for you.

3. Stay Hydrated

  • Drinking enough water (3L a day).
  • Avoid carbonated drinks.
  • Reduce your alcohol intake.

4. Weight Management

5. Get Sleep and Downtime

6. Mental Health

  • Be kind to yourself.
  • Take a break when you need it.
  • Forgive others.
  • Let go of resentment and tackle frustrations rather than dwell on them.
  • Sharpen the saw.
  • Give hugs.
  • Smile more.
  • Spend quality time with family and friends.
  • Do things that spark joy.

7. Set Health Habits

  • Schedule and go for routine medical checkups.
  • Schedule and go for dental checkups (2x a year).
  • Keep your immunizations (vaccinations) up to date.
  • If you’re on medication, take your medication appropriately. Don’t skip.
  • Avoid (or at least reduce) smoking, including second-hand smoke.

Conclusion

Protect yourself in advance by ensuring you already have these 3 ways in hand. Check up on your insurance plans before you need to use them. Practice good hygiene. Maintain healthy habits. It’s never too late to begin. Start today to protect yourself and your family against future outbreaks.

 

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What other actions do you take to keep infections to a minimum? Let us know in the comments below.