Handsfree Dispenser

The recent outbreak of Swine Flu in other countries and in the United States has mobilzed the CDC and World Health Organization into action against the disease.  The WHO has released 25% of its antiviral drugs and protective equipment to help in stopping the spread of Swine Flu.  The CDC has recommended frequent handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer before touching the mouth, eyes, or nose, before eating, and after touching things in public places. The CDC says cough and sneeze into disposable tissues, stay home when symptomatic, and keep your immune system strong.

I recommend using disinfectant wipes on everything that you touch. There are disposable paper sleeves for young children that fit over the elbow for sneezing and coughing. The best strategy is prevention because the Swine Flu can be deadly.

We hear a lot lately about the superbug MRSA which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus. We probably have some on our skin where it does no harm to us.  It is when it makes its way into the body that we experience chills, fever, rashes, and pus-filled pimples or boils.  When this happens, call your doctor. Sometimes hospital treatment is neccesary.

The first priority is to avoid or prevent MRSA from causing an infection.  The places where we come in contact with this microbe are in hospitals, gyms, and shared facilities such as manicure salons.  Wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer when visiting in the hospital or even in the doctor’s office. When exercising come prepared with a couple of towels-one for the machines and another for the shower. Use your flip-flops in the shower.

If you get a scrape or cut on your skin, wash it until it is healed over.  People who have a compromised immune system or an illness are more apt to be vulnerable to MRSA.  These simple steps can make the difference.

      “Home Sweet Home”, “There’s No Place Like Home”, and “Home Is Where The heart Is”. Unfortunately we could also say, “Home Germy Home”, “There’s No Contamination Like Home”, and “Home Is Where The Germs Are”. Yes we all feel safe in our homes, and rightly so because we cannot see the microscopic world that lives at home with us, namely harmless and harmful microbes. We do not want to sterilize our surroundings, and in fact it would be impossible and undesirable to do so. We can however prevent illness by simply washing our hands and using disinfectant wipes  on objects that harbor disease causing germs.  The usual suspects  are door knobs, land phones, cell phones, keyboards, kitchen counters, bathroom counters, faucets, sinks, TV remotes, toys, and keys. They can easily be wiped clean by using disinfectant wipes. When family members are sick, it is necessary to take these measures more frequently so as to prevent spreading the illness to other family members. Oh, and remember your car it’s your home away from home. You are not a Germaphobe because you do these things, you are just aware, and want to prevent cross contamination.

       This morning I was shopping in a drugstore.  As I walked down one aisle, a clerk was stocking the shelves.  He sneezed while trying to say hello. I said, “Sorry, you must have a cold”.  He replyed, “Yes I do”. While shopping further, I heard 5 more sneezes.  Now you know he was sneezing into the air, literally spraying germs everywhere. Maybe he was even sneezing into his hands, the hands that were handling items to be put on shelves.  A person who comes along and picks up one of these items, is exposed to the cold or flu germs.

       A person who is sick should not come to work, but you know that is not reality. Kids give their colds and flus to each other and to the teacher, office workers contaminate their desks and computers, food handlers can be the cause of illness, bank tellers can spread more than wealth. and clerks like the one I encountered today just don’t have a clue when it comes to preventing cross-contamination.

     Washing one’s hands and drying them with a sanitary paper towel,  hand sanitizers, using disinfectant wipes, and sneezing into the elbow, taught as hygiene for kids and adults are several ways to keep those germs from infecting others.

     Wherever food is handled, be it in the home, school cafeteria, restaurant, retirement home, military canteen, packing house or any other institution, it must not come in contact with disease causing germs. When a food recall is issued, it is because of cross-contamination in the handling of that food item.  The most common sources are E.coli and Salmonella.  This means that the food handler did not wash his or her hands or did not use a germ free towel to dry the hands. Touching a towel dispenser that every one else has handled is not hygienic and defeats the purpose of hand washing. If one has to exit a door, that towel can be used to open the door. Touch free towel dispensers should be available to all food handlers. The CDC says that simple hand washing can prevent disease and this cannot be stressed enough with food handling.