Disclosure: “I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Sickweather. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.”
As I sit here writing this post, my darling husband is lying on the bed beside me, sick as a dog. He came home from work early, changed into pajama pants and a sweatshirt and then crawled into bed. If you knew my husband, you would know that he NEVER sleeps with anything on but his boxers. So for him to wear clothes and cover up means he’s sick. I checked his forehead, and of course it was burning up. I took his temp and it clocked in at 101. Great! That combined with the aches and pains throughout his body, the headache he’s had, the chills, etc., and it sounds to me like he has the flu. Armed with that information, I turned to the Sickweather app to report his illness for others in the area who want to know what to watch out for.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve reported an illness on the Sickweather app. (The first report was a common cold.)
In fact, this is the third I’ve reported. (And I will continue to report illnesses and ailments.
Report an Illness:
To report an illness on the Sickweather app, all you have to do is click on the speech bubble with a plus sign in the upper righthand corner of the app. A new screen will pop up that says “Report and Illness”. Don’t worry. None of your personal information is shared. All reports are made anonymously, so you’re privacy is protected.
Unfortunately, the app is not being utilized much in our area of the state…yet…but I’m hoping that will change since I honestly believe it’s a valuable tool for not only parents, but teachers and school officials, as well. It allows us to be proactive by finding out what illnesses may be headed our way.
Other Sickweather perks:
Not long after we installed the app, we ran some errands in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the app went crazy. It alerted us to all the reported illnesses in the area. I thought it was awesome because in my opinion, knowledge is power.
Since we set up the app to alert us of all illnesses, our phone went nuts when in Manchester. (There were A LOT of sick people around.)
With Sickweather, you can also view different kinds of maps based on symptoms or illnesses that are grouped together. You can also view an animated map that spans five-days time to see the general direction an illness is traveling in. If something is headed your way, you can get ahead of it and take some precautions.
In addition, you can also choose to view an illness map for each day that will alert you of illnesses or ailments in your area.
What other steps can you take to help protect your child(ren)?
Since we know the kids are my apt to get sick during this time of year, we take some extra precautions to help protect them.
First, we keep our eyes and ears open to illnesses in the area by utilizing Sickweather and listening to teachers at the kids’ schools. It helps us know when we should pump orange juice and vitamins into the kids to help boost their immune systems. (They also take vitamins regularly.)
Second, we get the flu shots or the flu mist in hopes that if they do catch the flu, it won’t be as severe. Although, I’ve heard from others that there is a flu going around this year that the flu shot is not protecting people from.
Third, we make sure we always have hand sanitizer on hand, as well as soap. You can never wash your hands enough. I’m fanatical about it. I strongly dislike bacteria.
Fourth, we use antibacterial wipes. Again, I’m a fanatic and feel the need to wash the counters…A LOT!
Fifth, we teach the kids to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze.
Are there any other ways that you help your kids stay free from illness? Share in the comments below.
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