Hand Washing for Flu Prevention

Photo courtesy of Mike Licht

When washing your hands, you can use an antibacterial soap or just soap and water—but wash, wash, wash!

Teach your children to wash their hands frequently. They should wash their hands:

• after using the bathroom
• before eating
• after touching things in a store
• after being on public transportation
• after touching objects at school

At least while swine flu is still an issue, have your children wash their hands—at the drop of a hat!

Here are some ways to make sure that you are hand washing correctly and keeping your hands clean and healthy:

• When washing hands, use soap and friction for 20 seconds, then rinse—most people don’t wash long enough!

• After washing, moisturize your hands with hand lotion to keep them from becoming dry and cracked—chapped or cracked skin can become a friendly home for bacteria or viruses.

• Wash your hands after touching money, shopping carts, faucets, drinking fountain handles, door handles, children’s toys, the outside of a car.

• If you don’t have soap and water readily available, use an alcohol based hand cleaner. Keep some in your purse, in your desk at work and in the car. This is actually a very effective way to kill virus germs on your hands.

• The most common way to acquire the flu is by shaking hands with an infected person or by touching a surface contaminated with virus germs and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Don’t shake hands—or, if you must, wash your hands immediately afterward.

In addition to all the hand washing, keep your nails short and clean under your nails with a file and then scrape them on a bar of soap to get soap under the nails. Then, rinse your nails well.

While it may seem like an annoying activity to keep hand washing all day--don't dismay!

Washing hands frequently to prevent flu viruses from infecting you is a very effective way to prevent infection. It will be well worth your efforts.

You might also be interested in:

• Emergency Medical Supplies - Which ones should you keep on hand?
• Survival Preparedness - What can you do to make sure your family is prepared for any situation – natural disaster, medical emergency or anything else that would leave you vulnerable?

Hand Washing to Virus Prevention

Hand Washing to Pandemic Flu and Emergency Preparedness

New! Comments