Worried about bird flu? Wash your hands

As we have discussed in several thread, basic handwashing is the key to prevent many diseases and Avian Flu is no exception. Alcohol based hand sanitizers work well if used as directed, but good old fashioned soap and water work just fine. However, it takes more than getting your hands wet, you need to scrub well for a minimum of 30 seconds with warm water.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Little can be done to prevent an outbreak of bird flu if it comes in the next year or so before vaccine production can get started, health experts caution, but they say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves.

Number one is hand-washing, they say -- a surprisingly effective way to prevent all sorts of diseases, including ordinary influenza and the H5N1 virus that everyone now fears may jump into humans and cause a catastrophic pandemic.

Number two -- do not try to buy your own personal supplies of Tamiflu, one of two drugs shown to work against avian influenza.

And number three, stay home if you do get sick.

Old-fashioned hygiene works very well, experts agreed.
Wash Wash Eash Those Hands!

One of our local grocery chains has instituted a new clean hands idea.
At the entrance to my Kroger's there is a wet towel sanitizer (on a pull-down rolld) with instructions to clean off the handle of the shoppping cart.
Probably not 100% effective, but it goes a long way in the right direction
I'd say if you don't start seeing this in your stores, to call and ask for it

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
One of our local grocery chains has instituted a new clean hands idea.
At the entrance to my Kroger's there is a wet towel sanitizer (on a pull-down roll) with instructions to clean off the handle of the shoppping cart.Probably not 100% effective, but it goes a long way in the right direction

That sounds great to me - even if it is just for the regular flu and cold season also. Just imagine what is on those handles -- bleech. Makes me want to wear rubber gloves now that I HAVE thought about it

We have Kroger grocery stores where I live, too, and I was thrilled to see the cleaning cloth stand next to the shopping carts. Hopefully the wipedown helps out a little.

Our Kroger has two other types of carts that are fun for little children - one where kids sit in a miniature plastic car attached in the very front of the cart, and another where there are kids seats with steering wheels up next to the bar that the adult uses to push the cart. The cleaning cloth station has a graphic of wiping down that bar, but I wish they'd consider posting a picture of someone wiping down those steering wheels, too!

It's 'Monk'-ish, but can't hurt
Dr. Michelle Barron, medical director of Infection Control at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, is skeptical about the big-picture effectiveness of this latest measure... Still, she knows shopping carts can get disgusting. And there is certainly no harm in trying to clean them up a little. Just don't think it will guarantee a pass from the next round of flu.

[edit on 22-10-2005 by battleschool]

[edit on 22-10-2005 by battleschool]

I'd also advise against eating out. I know for a fact that many fast-food employees do not wash their hands. I think one time my mother-in-law called one out on that.

At buffet places, you have people with dirty hands handling the utensils. My husband says when you eat at those places don't eat your roll with your hands--use a fork or something.

One of the things that has taken much of the problems of propagation of viruses and diseases since ancient times is the old good hygiene I guess that it's why we all put so much emphasis to Wash our hands before handling food.

It's nothing wrong with good hygiene.

Amethyst

One of the places that I can not stand if buffet places with so many people and littler ones hovering over all the food, it's just so nasty.

People don't care if they talk over the food and children will wipe their noses and then grab food, it's just so nasty.

At least to me.

As someone who has to fix other people's computers, I wash my hands all the time. However, I've recently decided to start using surgical gloves. A computer keyboard is one of the nastiest things you can come in contact with,

Originally posted by marg6043

Amethyst

One of the places that I can not stand if buffet places with so many people and littler ones hovering over all the food, it's just so nasty.

People don't care if they talk over the food and children will wipe their noses and then grab food, it's just so nasty.

At least to me.

Not to mention that your little one could stick his hand in some hot food and burn himself.

When my husband and I take our son to a buffet place, my husband and I take turns going up for food. One will get food, the other will stay with our son. I typically get food for me and my son at the same time.

I also hate when people let their little rugrats run around and just about trip you over.

Actually when we had our son an Aunt made a grocery cart liner that also covers the handles then we wash it as needed. it keeps him clean and our hands. Think about it, a little blood dripping from the hamburger or meat and that seat area could be ecoli central

While we're on the subject of keeping healthy, I hear that the best defense against smallpox is a washing machine.

Comes down to keep clean, in a nutshell.

Originally posted by Amethyst
Not to mention that your little one could stick his hand in some hot food and burn himself.

I almost forgot about that, my daughter was 18 months old when due to my fault, I was holding her while cooking because she was crying, she got a nasty burn in her hand that until this day she still bears the mark. That was the worst day of my life.

You are right holding children over hot food is not the right thing to do.

Okay, you've realized washing your hands is a good thing. In public restrooms it is very important and employees are often reminded to do it often.

Then, you handle the faucets to turn off the water (germs there), the paper towel dispenser (more germs) and finally, the door to the restroom (even more baddies).

In one local grocery, the restroom has faucets that turn themsleves off, the heater/dryers for your hands and the door swings open so you don't have to touch it
Most are not like that.

If that is not possible, I can only hope that a paper towel can be used to touch things like door handles to escape the room as germlessly as possible.

DON'T WAIT FOR A GROCERY STORE TO INSTALL HAND SANITIZING WIPES...purchase some yourself and carry them with you. Wipe any surface that others touch with thier hands...telephones, door knobs, light switches, faucets, etc.

Also, wearing gloves to touch these things will help a lot. But...nothing takes the place of handwashing.

I also agree handwashing is one of the best ways to kill germs, and believe very strongly in changing my sheets MORE than twice a week ,but in this highly sanitized world which is and can be a good thing taking it to an extreme can also have its disatvantages. In the last few years I have heard and read here and there that,that due to excessive sanitizing we could be upsetting the balance of our immune systems, some say this is part of the reason as well as some new environmental changes and various pollutants. This kind of makes some sense to me. Maybe really good simple hygiene is all we really need, if everyone did their part that is

While we're at it, lets just wrap ourselves up in plastic glad-wrap, cover our windows with aluminium foil, and only eat things that come in freeze-dried shrink-wrapped plastic.
If you let your fear subside, it won't consume you any longer. You people all seem to be in fear, and are getting all paranoid about a VIRUS. h5n1 is a VIRUS, people, it's only going to survive inside the host, and outside the host for a very small period of time. You should ALREADY be doing this to avoid getting bacterial infections:
1. Wash your hands before you eat or handle food.
2. Properly sterilize any utensils that are going to come into contact with your bodily fluids. (ie. eating tools, shaving razor blades, nail clippers, earplug headphones, etc..)

Remember that you can only get an infection if the virus enters via an orifice (or a wound). A virus sitting on your skin isn't going to do bugger all.

This is like the 'I stepped in dog poo' problem. Most people seem to think that if they step in something (cigarette butts, dog crap, puddles of blood, etc..) that they'll get sick from it. If you touch dog crap, it's not going to make you sick, but if you are stupid enough to put your finger in your MOUTH, or scratch a wound without sterilising your hands, then THAT will make you sick.

The first thing I do when coming home is wash my hands, especially if I've been on a city bus or out shopping. I also wash my hands thoughout the day if I'm just working around the house.

When cooking (which I do a lot of), I always wash before and after handling any food. Also in the kitchen I buy a big bag of those scrubby sponges for the dishes and change them frequently because they are one of the most discusting breeding grounds for bacteria in your home. People pick up these two week old sponges to wipe something and walk away without washing their hands, YUK.

I won't use antibacterial products for the simple fact I don't want to give the germs a chance to build an imunity to the very products that are supposed to protect us. Plain old dish washing liquid or hand soap is the best, combine this with a thorough and complete washing with warm-hot running water and you should be eliminating most of the bugs from your hands if you spend a minut doing it. You need more than a quick rinse.
A little fingernail brush beside the sink will also increase the efficacy of hand washing. A study done in hospital and nursing homes that tested for bacteria under staff fingernails was just stunning.
I'll try to find a link to the report because it was pretty amazing. If I recall correctly, E.Coli was the biggest offender but was by no means alone.

One last point, picking your nose and biting your fingernails is a great way to increase your chance of introducing viruses and bacteria to your body, and the same goes for rubbing your eyes with dirty hands.

*member starts feeling itchy, leaves to shower*

One of the places that I can not stand if buffet places ...
People don't care if they talk over the food and children will wipe their noses and then grab food, it's just so nasty.

Good point... got me thinking about hometown buffet.... nasty

I always carry Wet Ones wipes in my van. I'm fanatical about using one after pumping gas.

I think my mother-in-law carries a bottle of Purell with her at all times. I need to start doing that again.

Ok, maybe I have issues that should be dealt with by a professional, but I take a bottle of Purell with me, not only when I fuel the car, but when I go into a grocery store. I'll squirt a bunch of the stuff onto the buggy handle and soak it down really good.

I keep a bottle of alcohol in the car and have been known to pour some on the asphalt and step in it after walking out of a rest area. Think about it; you walk out of a filthy place and then put your shoes on your car's interior.

anyone know the name of a good shrink?

Originally posted by Thomas Crowne
Ok, maybe I have issues that should be dealt with by a professional, but I take a bottle of Purell with me,

No professional required. In Microbiology we were sent out intot he community to culture stuff and man we grew back some nasty nasty stuff from door handles, park benches (how did that E Coli get there ) etc etc etc. No harm in keeping clean IMHO