If you visited your doctor and he or she didn't prescribe an antibiotic, there's a good reason. It's because your illness has been diagnosed as a virus, and you'll get better without an antibiotic. If you have an ordinary cold or flu, the virus will pass in about one week. To feel better you should try to get plenty of rest and drink lots of water or juice to flush out your system. It is also important to eat healthy foods.

The best advice to prevent you from getting sick in the first place is to be sure that you wash your hands frequently with plenty of soap and warm running water. You should remember to wash your hands well before you prepare or eat food, treat a cut or wound or look after someone who is sick. It is also important to wash you hands before you insert or remove contact lenses. To stay healthy, you also need to wash your hands after you use the bathroom, change diapers, blow your nose, cough or sneeze, play with pets, handle garbage or tend to someone who is sick. Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly helps to reduce the spread of germs from one person to the next.