ThE mineR
Living Well
October 28, 2015 |
1b
FREE YOURSELF FROM THE
FLU
Preventive steps to protect your home and business
W
ith flu season approaching, parents may be bracing for an outbreak at their children’s schools, but adults are also highly susceptible at work and in other public places. Now is the time for families and businesses to take steps to prevent and protect against the flu. With workers missing as much as a week after falling ill with the flu, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services attributes as much
as $7 billion in losses for U.S. businesses each year as a result of workers’ sick days and lost productivity. Combine that with lost wages, missed school and sporting events, and the overall hit to uenza.” Getting a flu vaccine and taking anti-viral medications as prescribed if you do contract the flu are two ways the CDC advocates stopping the spread of flu germs. Another vital factor in protecting yourself from the flu is preventing its spread.
The flu is a respiratory infection accompanied by fever and often respiratory complications that is transmitted from person to person, either through personal contact, or through contact with a contaminated surface. Individuals who have contracted the virus are contagious at least one day prior to displaying symptoms, and up to seven days after they first appear. In addition, the flu virus can survive up to 48 hours on stainless steel and plastic surfaces, and up to 12 hours on cloth, paper and tissues. Properly cleaning and disinfecting can minimize the chances of individuals contracting the virus from a contaminated surface. Prevent contamination To properly clean, disinfect and protect your environment, know that you should: n Clean any visible soil from surfaces before disinfecting. When cleaning and disinfecting, work from top to bottom and from cleaner to more heavily soiled surfaces.
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Thoroughly wet the surface with a U.S. EPA registered disinfectant and follow label instruc tions. Choose disinfectants effective against the flu virus, such as Ecolab’s line of disinfectant products, which are available for institutional and industrial use. n Disinfect frequently touched hard surfaces often, including tables, chairs, light switches, door handles and restroom facilities. n Give special attention to frequently touched surfaces in food preparation areas, as well as the restroom, including light and air control switches, faucets, toilet flush levers, door knobs and handrails. n
n Avoid touching public items that sustain heavy use, such as elevator buttons and push plates on doors, with your hands. Proper hand hygiene Hand-washing is also essential to preventing an influenza contamination. Proper handwashing helps remove most bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, so they can’t be spread to others. The CDC recommends these steps: n Wet hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap and apply soap.
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