Now that the hysteria that accompanied news reports about the spread of the virus formerly known as Swine Flu has abated and more level headedness prevails, hand washing vigilance is the important message of the day.
The Center for Disease Control has advised that hand washing is the first line of defense against infection. Germs spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with bacteria then touches their eyes, nose or mouth. Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes to 2 hours or more on surfaces like tables, doorknobs, playground equipment and desks.
Children especially need help learning proper hand washing techniques for good health. Here are some tips from Wet Ones Anti-Bacterial Wipes:
Be a good role model. Wash your hands after toilet, before preparing food, meals, and more frequently if someone in your home is sick, etc.
Use soap and warm water.
Dry hands with a paper towel and use it to shut off the faucet and turn the door knob, then discard.
Explain to children the importance of hand washing to kill germs they can’t see.
Alert children to when they need to wash their hands: after toilet, before eating or preparing food, after recess, after touching animals. Have children think of other times when hand washing is imperative.
Running hands under the faucet isn’t enough. Teach kids to lather their hands and scrub their fingers and under nails as long as it takes to sing the ABCs or Happy Birthday.
Praise them for good hand washing.
When soap and water aren’t available Wet Ones®Antibacterial Wipes are an easy, quick solution to keep hands clean when on the go. Based on laboratory microbiological testing, Wet Ones® Anti-bacterial Wipes kills 99.99% of germs and cleans hands by removing dirt and grime, unlike hand sanitizer gels that just kill germs. Consider packing them in lunch box and back pack. Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes are useful for situations when families come into contact with germs in public areas. Download $1 off coupons for Wet Ones® Antibacterial Wipes at www.wetones.com
Other things you can do to prevent the spread of germs:
Cover your mouths when you cough and sneeze.
Avoid touching the mouth, nose or eyes.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Talk to your doctor about getting a flu shot.
For more information about preventing seasonal flu, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm.
