Steps to help avoid illnesses during holiday travel

(CNN) – If you are planning to travel over the holidays, it may be wise to take extra steps to look after your health.

Experts say crowded areas like airports or celebrating with others indoors increases your risk of being exposed to respiratory viruses.

CNN reports Dr. Jared Fox, infectious diseases specialist with Orlando Health, says during winter months, we have to watch out for respiratory viruses like COVID-19, flu, RSV and human metapneumovirus, which causes symptoms similar to a cold.

Fox says, “We are gonna be, um, inside a lot more, especially a lot of places right now, the weather outside, um, as the song says, is frightful.”

There are also stomach bugs, such as norovirus.

Fox says, “We see it most commonly in the winter months as more people are gathering indoors.”

He says to avoid touching your face, and wash your hands frequently to protect yourself. He also says to make sure you’re up-t0-date on vaccinations to prevent severe illness.

Fox says, “Influenza vaccine, our COVID-19 vaccine, getting our boosters, especially for the immunocompromised and the elderly. The RSV vaccine as well for the older population, our pneumococcal vaccine as well.”

If you’re traveling by airplane or other public transportation, Fox says wearing a mask can help decrease risk, especially if you’re seated next to someone you don’t know.

If you’re sick this holiday season, help stop the spread of germs by staying home.

Fox says, “We’re gonna have more people inside, you’re gonna be exposed, so doing everything that we can to lessen that, so we don’t have to miss out on our um holiday gatherings that we enjoy.”

Fox says a new flu variant called Subclade K is currently spreading in the U.S., and because of that, doctors are expecting to see an increase in the amount of flu cases this year.