You can reduce the spread of infection, wash your hands!
How to Prevent the Spread of Influenza
What to do When you Do have the Flu
How to Properly Wash your Hands
Definitions
Influenza: A contagious infectious disease causing fever, headache, pain and inflammation of the respiratory tract.
Epidemic: The outbreak and rapid spread of a disease in a community affecting many people at the same time.
Pandemic: An epidemic that affects the population of a wide geographic area, even the whole globe.
Prevent the Spread
Hygiene habits to protect against viruses from the Canadian Center Occupational Health and Safety.
- Cover up: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough.
- Toss the Tissue: Throw away used tissues immediately.
- 20 Second Scrub: Wash your hands, especially after using tissues.
- Sneeze into Your Sleeve: Cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
- Hands Off: Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs on your hands can transfer into your body.
- Keep Your Distance: When you are ill or not feeling well, avoid close contact with others. Stay at least 1 metre away to prevent infecting people around you.
Unwell: Is it the Flu?
The word “FLU” is often overused and misused. The most prominent characteristics of the flu are the sudden appearance of a fever (38°C or 100.4°F or more), a dry cough and aching in the body, especially in the head and lower back and legs. Usually the person feels extremely weak and tired and doesn’t want to get out of bed. Other symptoms can be chills, aching behind the eyes, and loss of appetite, a sore throat and a runny, stuffy nose.
It’s the Flu! What do I do?
At the first sign of the flu, STAY HOME or if onset of illness is while at work, GO HOME.
- Stay home: Avoid contact with others while you are contagious; influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing, people are most infectious as their symptoms start.
- Advise your supervisor of absence.
- Rest: While you have a fever, you will be very weak and tired. Staying quiet in bed allows your body to fight the influenza virus.
- Drink plenty of fluids: Your body requires extra fluids to replace those lost because of fever (sweating). Warm liquids like chicken soup help loosen mucus. Try to drink a glass of water or some other fluid every hour while awake.
- Take acetaminophen or ibuprophen as recommended on the package: This will help to bring your fever down and will ease the muscle pain – unless your doctor has advised you otherwise. If not sure what to use, speak with your pharmacist for assistance. A hot water bottle, heating pad or a warm bath with a cup of Epsom salts may be soothing for muscle aches/pains.
Please note: Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses and antivirals are currently recommended for children less that 1 year old, pregnant women and persons suffering from chronic illness which places them at high risk for influenza. Children and young adults should NOT take Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) or any products containing ASA because the combination of influenza and ASA in this age group has been known to cause Reye’s Syndrome, a very serious condition affecting the nervous system and liver.
- Gargle: A glass of warm water gargled can ease a sore throat. Sucking on a sugarless candy or a throat lozenge can also provide some temporary relief.
- Cough: Your cough may produce mucus, if so, you may wish to try a cough expectorant; however, if the cough is dry and keeping you awake a cough suppressant may be more effective. Speak with your pharmacist for the best solution for your needs.
- Do not smoke: Your airway is already irritated; smoking will only increase the irritation.
- A stuffy nose: Speak with your pharmacist for directions as to the best product recommended for you.
When can I return to the workplace?
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Individuals working in a non-healthcare setting should remain off work until they are afebrile (no fever) without the use of fever reducing medication and feeling better.
- Individuals who work in a healthcare setting should remain off work until 7 days after the onset of their symptoms and 24 hours after they are afebrile (no fever) and feeling better, whichever is longer.
Health questions about influenza can be answered at:
Telehealth Ontario: 1-866-797-0007
Please do NOT go to a medical facility without first calling, discussing your problem and receiving explicit instructions to attend.
How to Properly Wash your Hands
Wash Your Hands With Soap
Believe it or not, there is a correct way to wash your hands which will reduce bacteria and viruses.
- Wet hands thoroughly under warm running water.
- Lather with soap: Put a small amount of liquid soap in the palm of one hand. Bar soaps are not as hygienic as liquid soaps because they stay moist and attract germs. If a bar soap is the only option, it should be stored on a rack so that the bar does not sit in water.
- Scrub hands vigorously for at least 15 - 20 seconds so that you produce lather. Sing Happy Birthday while you do this. Soap and scrubbing helps to dislodge and remove germs.
- Be sure to get the backs of the hands, wrists, between the fingers and under/around your nails.
- Rinse your hands well under clean warm running water for at least 10 seconds.
- Dry your hands with a disposable towel, where possible, or an electric hand dryer, or use a clean towel (change it daily). During cold and flu season, you may want to provide each family member with their own hand towel.
- Turn off the tap with the towel when possible. When able, use the towel to open the door and then dispose of the towel.
- Use hand lotion to put moisture back into your skin if your hands are dry.
If Soap is Not Available…
Antibacterial soaps used regularly could encourage the development of resistant bacteria. Plain soap has ingredients that help to remove dirt and grease from your skin whereas antibacterial soaps contain antibiotics in amounts that kill some of the germs on your skin. When you use antibacterial soaps the bacteria at the edge of the “soap line” are exposed to only a little bit of antibiotic. These bad germs survive and become resistant (meaning they can not be killed) to that particular antibiotic. They can also transfer their antibiotic resistance to good germs.
It would be better to use waterless; alcohol based antiseptic gel hand rinses i.e. Isagel. These should only be used if you don’t have soap and water available. To be effective, the alcohol based antiseptic gel must contain at least 60% alcohol. This is flammable i.e. someone having a cigarette while washing hands with an alcohol based gel could cause a fire. Hand washing continues to be the best number one way to beat bacteria and viruses.
General Information
Influenza viruses can live up to two days on hard surfaces. Wash these surfaces often with a disinfectant particularly if the area is used by others i.e. keyboards, phones, door knobs, light switches, water taps and tabletops. Any disinfectant spray or towelette can be used. Lightly spray a cloth and wipe the surface. Do not spray directly on the surface.
Supplies
To order Caviwipes (Disinfectiong Towellettes) or Isagel (Hand Sanitizer) - Complete a stores requisition and forward to Central Stores in East Campus Hall.
Quick Tips
- Wash your hands: Our mothers were right on this one. We come in contact with all kinds of potential infections every day and frequent hand washing is our best protection for ourselves and others. Remember to use soap and water, scrubbing well, rinsing and then drying your hands.
- Keep your hands away from your face: Have you ever seen the commercials using the black light which shows just how much bacteria is actually on your hands at any given moment? This is both a good reason to remember to wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your face.
- Get lots of sleep and restore your immune system.
- Drink lots of water, keeping mucous membranes lubricated: Your eyes, nose and mouth are three of the most accessible areas for bacteria and viruses to enter your body.
- Manage your stress.
- Eat healthy including lots of vegetables and fruit everyday: This is not an easy change for many of us but even small changes can make a difference. Think small changes and eventually you will get big results.
- Get physical: This doesn’t have to mean trying out for the national ski team or a whole new exercise wardrobe. For most of us it means just doing a bit more and thinking about opportunities to keep active. Consider just 10 to 15 minutes of extra activity each day. Stretching, a short jaunt with the dog, parking a few blocks from work, or better yet, cycling to work all help.
- Have a good laugh every day-it helps the immune system function better.
- Get the influenza vaccine. Unfortunately, the average for the population is only about 30 percent. Younger, healthy people who catch the flu spread it to others so we should all get a flu shot, not only to avoid that week or two of misery for ourselves, but to protect others who are more susceptible.
With a bit of practice, everyone can learn how to wash their hands regularly, and properly.