Hand Sanitizers

[Gail]

Nowadays we see hand sanitizing stations in public places like malls.

Do YOU use them?

Do you feel safe that they are there?

Do you think they make any difference when it comes to communicable diseases like influenza?

[Guest]

I don't go to the Mall, but I use them at home. It claims to kill 99.9% of all germs. They wouldn't lie would they?

[nuff sed]

Get them at Dollar Tree and you'll get a whole lot more for your money

[Guest]

That's where I get em.

[Liz]

Yes, I use them, I keep them in the car too. I also use the handi wipes that the grocery stores put out to wipe down the carts with.

[Dr. Shane]

I keep some in the car use it often.

[Gail]

The other day our hospital lost another patient to H1N1, this one only 26 years old.

We also were notified by our local academy that one of their students is being treated for Swine Flu.

What precautions are you taking or plan to take? Any masks? Shots? Stay away from work?

[Woody]

Just got my flu shot this week.

[Dr. Shane]

Most cases of swine flu are less severe than the regular flu. That is the good news. The swine flu is also getting weaker and weaker as it spreads. That is also good news. Of course, for the families of people that die from it, those statistics area hardly comforting.

Mexico is ground zero for the swine flu. Texas is ground zero for the US. It is on all the radio and TV stations here. We are advised to wash our hands with hand sanitizer often. Cough into our elbows. And if we are feeling sick, we are not to go to work. Employers are encouraged to give workers more sick days.

[GreatLakesGramma]

I'm not worried about myself at all. It's my kids and my grandchildren I am most concerned about.

[Amelia]

*GP

I can tell you that I don't see any kind of measures being taken by children to keep stuff from spreading. I see it every day. Kids sneezing and coughing without covering. Snot running down their faces. Parents not giveing a a you know what about it. Remember, I work in grocery stores every day. I see a wide selection of the population. It's just gross. I use hand sanitizer and wipes just for that alone.

Shane

Quote:

The swine flu is also getting weaker and weaker as it spreads.

Proof please

[Markb]

You want to use the hand sanitizers that have alcohol in them. Not all hand sanitizers include alcohol.

It's also important to warn younger children about hand sanitizers that include alcohol in them. Namely, to teach them not to lick their hands after applying any sanitizer. ER rooms were baffled for awhile seeing young children partially drunk.

I've installed in my home automatic hand sanitizer dispensers and I absolutely love them. The dispensers are quite affordable ($25.00). Your hands don't touch anything and they measure out the perfect amount of soap each time.

I'm using dispensers from a company called "GoJo." The liquid soap can be a bit expensive, but it lasts for many months of daily use and turns into a nice foam when dispensed.

Of course, the hard part is disciplining ourselves not to touch our eyes, nose or mouth and to wash our hands frequently. I also wipe down my keyboard and mice each week along with all the door knobs and light switches.

[Gail]

@ Amelia re: Shane's comment about it getting weaker:

It's still deadly here in B.C. Out of the 8 deaths attributed to it, 4 were in our regional hospital. The newspaper said that the first 7 victims all had secondary issues which complicated it, and they are waiting for results on the 8th who died just the other day.

[Dr. Shane]

I heard one of our local talk shows interviewing a guy from the CDC that stated the H1N1 virus is getting weaker as it spreads. Our TV news down here repeated that too. I think they are trying to prevent mass panic. That is only logical as it is true of the normal flu too.

Of course for the minority of people that get a bad case, it doesn't matter that most people are only mildly impacted. 100 people surviving it is of little comfort to the family on one that dies to it.

[Amelia]

*GP

Quote:

Long term, the fate of the virus would depend on how it competed with normal seasonal flu, he said.

It was possible swine flu might become the new “default” seasonal flu.

“There may be some quiescence of incidence in summer next year after which it could come back as a normal seasonal flu; we don’t know, it’s early days,” said Prof Bennington.

source:

http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/uk-swine-flu-virus-predicted-to-weaken-425841.html

[Amelia]

Quote:

CDC officials say 10 more states, a total of 37, now have widespread swine flu. A week ago, reports suggested that cases might be leveling off and even falling in some areas of the country, but that did not turn out to be an enduring national trend.

source:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113700568