DALLAS – WBAP/KLIF – It is inevitable you’ll touch surfaces like the phone, microwave and fridge handles in the breakroom; even vending machine buttons; but there are easy solutions to prevent the spread of germs and getting sick. Experts advise using disposable disinfectant wipes on your desktop and everything you put your hands on every day during flu season. Use hand sanitizer after every meeting or shaking of hands. Photocopier buttons are rarely wiped down and usually a hotbed mashup of several types of germs that can make you ill.
Experts suggest washing your hands properly can make all the difference in whether a germ you’ve picked up will make it into your system. Wash your hands for a full 20 to 30 seconds; vigorously rubbing hands and fingers against each other.
Last year’s flu shot was only 40% effective, because the flu bug keeps mutating. Designing the correct immunization against flu means guessing which strain or strains will be the big ones, and then making an effective deterrent. An estimated 80 thousand Americans died during last year’s severe flu season, the deadliest in more than four decades. Experts advise getting the flu shot, but like most years, it seems there are more flu like illnesses than just the flu strains this year’s shot is designed to work against.
This year, the deaths of 16 children are believed caused by this year’s flu strains; three children died in the week ending January 5th, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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