The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it, the opportunity to visit with friends and family.

While this is an opportunity many enjoy and celebrate, Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber says it can be an opportunity to contract illnesses as well. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that besides respiratory illnesses like RSV, influenza, Covid and the common cold, there are some other ways people can get sick.

“We usually call them the ‘stomach bug,’ sometimes referred to as the ‘stomach flu,’ a bit of a misnomer there. But nonetheless, those are things that we should be worried about. When we gather as a whole, we have the chance of spreading respiratory viruses. But if we’re eating together, we also have the potential to spread other viruses.”

Arber mentions that some causes of the stomach flu include eating foods that are underprepared, or have been sitting out in conditions that are not optimal, like cold foods sitting out all day. He explains that making sure foods are cooked to the correct temperature, along with keeping foods cold or hot, can help keep individuals from getting sick. Arber adds that preparing beforehand can also help, by making sure your body is sufficiently hydrated, and consuming the correct amounts of key vitamins.