{"id":13061,"date":"2025-11-27T13:27:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T13:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=13061"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:38:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T09:38:40","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-unwanted-viruses-this-festive-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/winter-health\/how-to-prepare-for-unwanted-viruses-this-festive-season\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prepare for unwanted viruses this festive season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-13062\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/11\/27125932\/vicky-1764248371-3-Eoghan-de-Barra.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/11\/27125932\/vicky-1764248371-3-Eoghan-de-Barra.jpg 600w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/11\/27125932\/vicky-1764248371-3-Eoghan-de-Barra-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Dr Eoghan de Barra<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Senior Lecturer, Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, Consultant in Infectious Diseases<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The festive season is, unfortunately, also the herald of the flu season. Dr Eoghan de Barra explains how we can prepare, protect and be proactive against viral infection.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>With flu season in full swing, peaking approximately six weeks either side of Christmas, households must be prepared. \u201cThese illnesses will circulate, and preparation is key,\u201d says Dr Eoghan de Barra, Consultant of Infectious Diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-prepare\"><strong>Prepare<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many viruses circulate year-round but become more active in winter. Viruses survive longer in cold conditions, and people generally spend more time together inside, making it easier to spread. Alongside this, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.knowandgo.ie\/?cmp=0fe248c1-f101-46b8-873d-34faf22d021b&amp;ttype=QRC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">COVID-19<\/a>, adds de Barra, \u201cbreaks all the usual rules, appearing in waves every 12-16 weeks\u201d, which can create a \u201cperfect storm\u201d if it overlaps with flu and RSV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He advises stocking up on the basics \u2014 paracetamol, ibuprofen, fluids, a thermometer and over-the-counter medications, as most viral infections can be managed with self-care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-protect\"><strong>Protect<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Simple measures such as good hand hygiene, effective ventilation and staying at home to avoid the spread of symptoms can help reduce the risk of transmission. For some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.knowandgo.ie\/?cmp=0fe248c1-f101-46b8-873d-34faf22d021b&amp;ttype=QRC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vulnerable populations<\/a>, these measures are more important than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Vaccination is one of the most proactive ways to protect yourself, giving you the ability<br> to enjoy a normal winter season, socialise and meaningfully reduce your risk<a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are certain groups who are at greater risk from illness over winter, including those with chronic health conditions, such as asthma and chronic lung disease; those aged over 65 or under 2; and people with weakened immune systems,\u201d explains de Barra. Checking in on people to make sure they\u2019re eating and drinking is important, but should be balanced with limiting their exposure to anyone unwell with a cough or a bad cold.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-be-proactive\"><strong>Be proactive<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUtilise the tools at your disposal. Vaccination is one of the most proactive ways to protect yourself, giving you the ability to enjoy a normal winter season, socialise and meaningfully reduce your risk. While vaccination doesn\u2019t completely prevent infection, data shows a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMsa2514268\">significant reduction<sup>1<\/sup> in the risk<\/a> of hospitalisation and risk of mortality, particularly when people are vaccinated against flu, COVID-19 and RSV,\u201d implores de Barra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while there are added pressures on the healthcare system, that shouldn\u2019t deter you from seeking professional assessment when needed. \u201cIf you\u2019re in a high-risk group or have chronic health conditions, you should contact your healthcare provider sooner rather than later,\u201d says de Barra. \u201cIf symptoms are more than the usual fever, aches and pains, including difficulty breathing or if you\u2019re getting worse or not improving after 48 to 72 hours, it\u2019s time to reach out for medical advice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><div style=\"text-align:center\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-button ab-block-button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.knowandgo.ie\/?cmp=0fe248c1-f101-46b8-873d-34faf22d021b&amp;ttype=QRC\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"ab-button ab-button-shape-rounded ab-button-size-medium fb-pixel\" style=\"color:#ffffff;background-color:#000000\">Click here to learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\">[1] Scott, J. et al. (2025). Updated Evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025\u20132026. <em>New England Journal of Medicine<\/em>. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1056\/nejmsa2514268<a id=\"_msocom_1\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The festive season is, unfortunately, also the herald of the flu season. Dr Eoghan de Barra explains how we can prepare, protect and be proactive against viral infection. With flu season in full swing, peaking approximately six weeks either side of Christmas, households must be prepared. \u201cThese illnesses will circulate, and preparation is key,\u201d says &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/winter-health\/how-to-prepare-for-unwanted-viruses-this-festive-season\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":13064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5883],"tags":[5994],"class_list":["post-13061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-health","tag-winter-wellbeing"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/11\/27132501\/vicky-1764249897-GettyImages-1215751740-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/11\/27132501\/vicky-1764249897-GettyImages-1215751740-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Mica Robertson","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/micarobertson\/"},"vicky_category_order":[{"category_id":5883,"order":"0"}],"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13061"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13157,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13061\/revisions\/13157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}