Getting sick seems almost impossible as teenagers. Whether it’s a cold or the chickenpox, we will catch something and spread it throughout the entire school and beyond that. Nonetheless, getting sick is can be preventable. All it requires is a bit of hygiene and precautions.

Number one, you should always get a flu virus vaccine. Although it does not defend against every type of flu virus, it does help with most. After two weeks of receiving the vaccine, it helps antibodies develop throughout your body. Antibodies are blood proteins that chemically combine with substances that are not normally in the body such as bacteria in the blood. They help defend against most forms of the flu virus, making it at least somewhat possible to avoid all together.

The vaccine does not stop all virus that exist, so there are many other solutions to not picking up the illness. A given that we should all follow self-consciously is washing your hands. You should always wash your hands before you eat, go to the bathroom, etc. The flu virus is easily spread through touching of the hands, so it would be a smart idea to carry hand sanitizer around for the small moments throughout the day where you are making contact with foreign objects that are commonly touched by other people.

Always be sure to clean off your keyboards, doorknobs, or any other items you put your hands on daily. To save others from the nuisance of getting the flu, sneeze and cough with your mouth covered or in a tissue.

Preventing the flu is a matter of good hygiene and common sense.