The best place to be if you're sick is at home

COLUMBIA - Visitors to the elderly and ill are advised to take steps to reduce the risk of infection.

"Anyone in a health care setting such as a nursing home or hospital is more likely to be at risk of infection," said Lena Bretous, M.D., of DHEC's Bureau of Disease Control. "The best advice to protect visited loved ones against the spread of disease is to wash your hands before coming into contact with them and to stay away if you are sick."

The beginning of the cold and flu season often coincides with the holidays and thereafter. The best ways to prevent illness can be quite simple:

. Get a flu shot if you have not already gotten one this year. It is the best way to reduce your risk and it is not too late to get one. Visit: http://www.scdhec.gov/flu/.

. Wash your hands frequently and well. Use soap and water and a clean, disposable cloth, if possible, for drying your hands.

. Use a tissue, not a handkerchief, to cover your sneeze or cough. If none is available, coughing into your sleeve is preferable than coughing into your hand, which can pass infectious agents to surfaces that others might touch.

. Stay home when you are ill.