Does hand washing really stop spread of H1N1 flu?
September 25, 2009 by Fred HosierPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Research on safety, Respiratory safety, swine flu, Worker health
PDF What measure to prevent the spread of H1N1 (swine) flu do you hear about most in the media? For the moment - until the H1N1 vaccine is available, it’s hand washing. But does it really hinder the spread of swine flu?
The medical community appears to be split on this.
Hand washing does help stop the spread of the common cold, many respiratory infections and viruses that cause diarrhea.
But in a Newsweek article, Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology at the University of California, Berkeley, says there’s virtually no evidence that people can catch the flu virus via physical contact. He says people are more likely to catch the flu from breathing in microscopic particles exhaled by infected people.
Dr. Michael Osterholm, head of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, notes that some animal studies confirm flu is transmitted through the air and not by physical contact.
Among those still promoting hand washing is the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dr. Anne Schuchat. She supports hand washing because it protects against respiratory and intestinal diseases in general - and H1N1 does cause respiratory and intestinal problems.
What’s the take-home for businesses? First, hand-washing is effective in preventing some illnesses, so there’s no reason not to promote it.
Second, this points to the importance of sending sick employees home, and telling them to stay there until they’re well.
Third, the best step people can take starting next month is to get the H1N1 flu shot, when it becomes available.
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Tags: Centers for Disease Control, flu shot, H1N1 swine flu, hand washing, send employees home
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September 25th, 2009 at 9:07 am
The first batch of UK swine flu vaccines have been approved, it looks like vaccinations will begin in October!
Swine Flu - Latest
September 28th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
It certainly can’t hurt. At least it will reduce the chances of contracting a cold along with the flu. It can’t be in anyone’s interest to have a cold and the flu at the same time.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Hand washing is a lot like bathing, it never hurts to be too clean. Soap and water, for the most part are cheap after all.
October 5th, 2009 at 11:09 am
In response to Tom..
The only thing that being “too” clean is that your body does not have a chance to recognize the different germs, and is not readily equipped to fight off infection/disease/virus’s. It contributes to a weak immune system.
On the topic though, I dont believe that it will prevent contracting the swine flu, however, it may reduce the risk of getting it. I say this just because if an infected person sneezes on their hand, or coughs on their hand(s), and then shakes yours, you put yours to your mouth, via eating, yawning, etc, I would imagine one could inhale the germs that way.
Easiest way to prevent that is to cary around a little bottle of sanitizer. They’re cheap and easy to find and carry around.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
People sound stay home on their own, but the sad truth is that hourly employees don’t have sick time they have PTO and they consider that their vacation time. SO they will come in sick no matter what, because one they will not use their PTO hours for sick time and two, they can’t afford to stay home and not get paid.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Very much agreed with that comment. I know that the only time i take off is when im throwing up. Other than that, im here at work, chuggin along.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Amber, using a sanitizer on your hands from time to time is just like washing them from time to time.
They are equally effective and a good solution that may help.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
That is true.. however, i personally work at a job where i cannot always get to the bathroom to wash them… So for me its a better idea for me to get a bottle of sanitizer.. even if one works in a factory setting every 30ft or whatever to have a sanatizer bottle on the wall or table, that would be effective. it may be oricey at first to install them all, but in the long run, it may help save comanied money due to employees not being sick. I just dont think that this is going to be as big of an epidemic as alot of us think. As long as we take the proper precautions, and take time to wash hande or use sanitizer, we should all be ok. My boyfriends aunt actually came down with N1H1… Im not sure how she contracted it, or what precautions she took to prevent it, but even if we all just do the little things like coughing into the elbow instead of the hands… then we should all be ok.