At the CTV studios, flu shots are an important weapon in the battle to avoid getting sick. Because once one person in an office comes down with an upper respiratory infection, it's not long before others are feeling ill.
If you have children at home, sharing respiratory viruses is even more common.
When one of Julie Bucholtz's daughters gets sick, the other is not far behind.
"They both get so needy for my attention it can be a challenge," she says.
Washing your hands often is one way to prevent germs from spreading, but it might not help as much as previously thought.
A new study has found when a sick person touches something; those germs can stick to objects for days and are transferred easily.
The research showed if the cold virus was transferred to a household item and another person touched that item within an hour -- they had an 89 per cent chance of getting the virus.
Within 24 hours, they had a 69 per cent chance.
And after 48 hours, the next person to touch the object had a 53 per cent chance of getting the virus and getting sick.
"Realize viruses can be easily picked up and transferred throughout the house," says NYU's Dr. Philip Tierno.
"Practice good household hygiene by using a germicide to clean solid surfaces that may have been contaminated."
The study found the most contaminated areas in the home are doorknobs, refrigerator door handles, toys, television remote controls and bathroom faucets.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low
