NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Memorial Day weekend is over and for many of you that can mean fun summer plans like baseball games, music festivals, camping and even a family trip.
Health and science experts say there are some ways you can stay healthy so that things can go as planned.
Family Medicine Physician Dr. Barbara Bawer says just because we're past the winter months, we're not in the clear from potential illness.
"Those are the typical months when we think of people having flu and cold and COVID and all these other viruses, because, you know, it's colder and because we're indoors, it doesn't mean that these things cannot happen the rest of the year," Bawer said.
She says as you partake in those summer activities, be on the lookout for enterovirus, which more often during this time of the year. They can lead to summer flus or mild infections like hand, foot and mouth disease. Children are more likely to become since from this than adults and most of the time the cases are mild, but most of the time this comes from summer travel and music festivals which can expose us to more germs.
"You've had alcohol, potentially, maybe some caffeine to kind of keep you up longer listening to the music. Your immune system is also lower, and so you have a much higher risk of getting these diseases. If you're screaming and your throat is dry, those are all risk factors," said Dr. Bawer.
Summer activities like camping or outdoor barbeques also bring risks of foodborne illnesses. They are commonly caused by norovirus or bacteria like salmonella. 1 in 6 Americans get some sort of foodborne illness each year.
The USDA says bacteria that causes these illnesses grow the quickest between temperature ranges of 40 and 140 degrees. Never leave food out of refrigeration for two hours.
"90 degrees and above, after an hour of sitting out in those temperatures, that's when your food will begin to spoil. Even if it looks okay," said Kenneth King, USDA Food Safety Public Affairs Specialist.
These are just precautions to keep you aware for you and your family so those summer plans play out safely. Don't let those illnesses stop you from enjoying those summer activities by planning ahead with hand washing and other safe practices.
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