This past flu season was expected to be a particularly difficult one. Fortunately, it did not turn out to be nearly as bad as predicted. Hopefully, this was at least in part because we became more diligent in looking out for our health and preventing the spread of the flu.
Hand sanitizers can play a major part in preventing the spread of the flu virus, as well as other germs that spread disease. They are so simple, really, that it’s sort of surprising that it took us this long to come up with the concept. A good hand sanitizer is made up of mostly alcohol. Alcohol has the ability to physically kill most germs and bacteria. In many cases, in fact, hand sanitizer can kill more of the germs that make us sick than even soap and water.
However, hand sanitizers should be considered just one of the tools in our arsenal against illness. They should be an adjunct to soap and water washing, not a replacement for it. Hand sanitizers do not remove dirt, and in fact, may be completely ineffective if you put them on very dirty hands. Secondly, they don’t kill spores that might be transferred and then allowed to grow on food, so hand washing is still the way to go during cooking.
The best use of hand sanitizers is when you’re on the go and don’t have access to soap and water, or to be used in conjunction with soap and water. For example, hand sanitizer is a great option when you’re visiting the grocery store and have just touched that germy grocery cart handle. It’s also great as you’re leaving the playground with your kids, since playgrounds are notoriously germy. But, once you arrive at home, you should all still wash your hands to ensure that the dirt and grime is gone, too. Hand sanitizers are also great for use in the classroom, when constant hand washing is simply not feasible.
There are other disease prevention methods we should be using regularly, too. First of all, it’s important for many of us to get flu shots each year to prevent catching the flu. Certain members of the population, like young children and the elderly particularly need this type of prevention.
Another great prevention technique is teaching children to cough and sneeze into the bend of their arms. This helps keep the germs from getting on their hands in the first place. And, no other disease prevention technique is more effective than simply staying home when you’re sick. Knowing when to stay home is a great way to prevent spreading your illness to lots of other people.
When used in conjunction with other disease prevention methods, hand sanitizers are a great tool. They can help us keep notoriously dirty and germy children relatively germ free during those months when all sorts of viruses are floating around everywhere.
We escaped the big flu epidemic that was predicted for this flu season: mostly because we were very prepared for it. Flu shots, along with other flu prevention methods like hand sanitizer, can help keep us healthy for many flu seasons to come.
Phyllis Zerkle writes about how to get an online MPH degree.
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