6 Common Illnesses and How to Avoid Spreading Them

Avoiding the spread of illness is something we can all do — together — to help keep ourselves, our families, and our communities healthy. Six very common illnesses can all be prevented with the same, easy-to-replicate, day-to-day precautions. 

At Schaumburg Immediate Care, we treat a number of upper respiratory infections as well as other issues that cause similar side effects. But as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure. We always believe that any time we can help prevent an illness from spreading, we do an even better job of caring for our patients. 

Learn about six common illnesses you can encounter daily and how, even if you contract them, you can easily avoid spreading them. 

6 common illnesses: what they are and how they affect you

There are six common illnesses we see all the time in our clinic. They include 

• The common cold
• The flu
• COVID-19 
• Bronchitis 
• Pneumonia
• Strep throat 

Sometimes, these can be hard to distinguish from one another. The common cold, the flu, and COVID-19 all cause many of the same symptoms. You may need a test to determine which illness you’ve contracted. That’s because these are all upper respiratory infections. 

Some of these are similar, but not all affect the same body parts. For example, bronchitis affects the tubes in the lungs (called bronchioles) that move air through them. Pneumonia is also a lung infection, and strep is a bacterial infection that mostly affects the throat. The symptoms of these three issues differ somewhat from those of URIs.

You’ll likely want a diagnosis so you can get the appropriate treatment for the appropriate illness. But how do you keep from giving others the condition in the meantime? 

How to avoid the spread of these common illnesses

The spread of all six of these conditions can be avoided with a number of similar prevention methods. 

Hand hygiene 

Hand hygiene is one of the easiest and most important ways to avoid the spread of illness. But many of us don’t know the ways to ensure hand hygiene. For example, when you wash your hands, make sure to do so for at least 20 seconds with soap. And here’s a little-known tip: if you don’t like using hot water, just use cold! It works just as well. Hand sanitizer is great, too!

Clean commonly used items

Items like door handles or communal pens can quickly spread disease in a classroom, a job site, or a home. Regularly cleaning these surfaces with disinfectant can significantly minimize the chance of spreading disease. 

Cover your mouth

When you sneeze or cough, make sure to cover your mouth. Illness spreads quickly through these expulsions, and it helps immensely to make sure you avoid them becoming airborne as much as you can. Use the upper part of your sleeve if you don’t have a handkerchief or tissue.

Don’t get too close

If you’re sick, try to avoid getting close to others, and remind them that it’s best they keep their distance. Don’t go to work, school, or other crowded places while you’re ill. It’s also important to avoid letting others use your personal items or sharing your eating utensils if you’re unwell.

Boost your immune system

Immunity supplements are a great way to boost your immune system. If you’re trying to avoid spreading infection, use these to help you get better faster, and ask your loved ones to consider using them, too. In addition, many of the common illnesses listed above have vaccinations that can help you avoid contracting them. 

Do you want to avoid the spread of these common illnesses?

We recommend visiting our clinic for any necessary treatments to help you get better. Modern medicine can help prevent the spread of illness in your community.

Call us today at 847-250-1700. You can also make an appointment online.