Decide your health

Every decision you take can bring illness closer or keep it away. Choose to look after your health and prevent infections by availing yourself of all available resources.

A person's risk of falling ill is determined by various factors among which genetics represent just a small percentage. Our lifestyle and environment, the health care system, work, social support network, etc are some of the factors that influence our state of health or illness.

Being aware of the impact of these factors is the first step to deciding on actions we can take to prevent health issues from arising.

Resources offered by the health care system include prevention strategies such as vaccination against flu and pneumococci, and monitoring of chronic illnesses (high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes) to reduce our vulnerability.

We can boost our immune system by following a balanced diet to help it function optimally, as well as by managing our emotions appropriately to prevent it from becoming weakened.

In addition, we should ensure we rest by not altering our circadian rhythms (we can reduce our use of screens and artificial light) and by engaging in daily exercise and physical activity.

Lastly, if you do catch something infectious, avoid passing it onto others. It is everyone's responsibility to protect the most vulnerable.