Swine Flu Prevention And Health Safety Tips
As the weather cools towards winter, colds, flu’s and virus’s become more and more prominent. And with the cooler temperature comes an increased amount of time spent indoors for Mainers, enhancing the opportunity for germs to spread throughout your home and office.
More commonly known as the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, the 2009 flu pandemic is a global outbreak that can be fatal if contracted. Symptoms of the illness are similar to a normal seasonal flu, yet are escalated and prolonged, especially in the very young or very old. According to the World Health Organization, annual influenza epidemics affect an estimated 5 to 15 percent of the world’s population, causing nearly 500,000 deaths annually. The 2009 flu pandemic is expected to peak in North America by mid-winter.
At the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein, we’ve taken several health safety precautions to help prevent the spread of the 2009 flu pandemic, as well as the common cold. With the proper preparation, we can do our best to keep friends, loved ones, and most importantly, ourselves, healthy and happy. Which is exactly what we intend to do.
Here are some health safety tips that we’d like to share with you:
In General:
- Wash hands frequently and always before you eat. If antibacterial soap is not available, use hand sanitizer or hand wipes.
- Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing. This prevents germs from spreading.
- Avoid touching eyes, mouth, and nose.
- Minimize sharing drinking cups or bottles.
- Stay healthy with good nutritional habits, exercise, and plenty of sleep. Healthy habits help strengthen your immune system.
- If you do become sick, see a doctor to get proper treatment and stay home from work or school to prevent passing on the virus.
At Home:
- Use air filters and hang house plants to help purify the air.
- Run sponges through the dishwasher and wash kitchen cloths in hot water.
- Use a disinfectant twice a week in your bathroom. Studies have shown that a bathtub or shower contains more germs than a trashcan.
- Change toothbrush every 3-4 months.
- Sanitize steering wheels in all vehicles.
At Work:
- Clean or disinfect telephones, computer keyboards, and other work surfaces.
- Use hypochlorite-cleaning solutions to clean faucets, doorknobs, light switches, microwave touch screens, and other frequently used items.
- Avoid contact with sick colleagues.
The 2009 flu pandemic has been in the public eye since the spring, and for good reason, there have been over 4,000 confirmed deaths linked to the disease worldwide. By following these health safety tips, not only will you be healthy, you’ll also help keep your family, friends, and co-workers healthy. And at the end of the day, your health is your biggest wealth.
For more information on germ prevention please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.
