Health workers

This week I’ve been talking to a couple of friends who work in the health system here and in the UK. The big question and of course the obvious one I’ve been asking is how we can all avoid flu – whether that be normal seasonal flu, swine flu or even man flu. Here’s what they said:

The flu virus is spread in the small droplets of saliva coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. If you breathe in these droplets, you will more than likely become infected.

Flu can also spread if someone with the virus touches surfaces such as door handles/phones with unwashed hands.

Although the UK and France have now moved to a treatment phase for swine flu, it is important that we do everything we can to stop it from spreading. Afterall, who wants to be ill?

So the way to do this is to have good respiratory (nose & mouth) and hand hygiene. In other words, you should always sneeze away from people in to a tissue and put it in a bin or flush it down the toilet. And wash your hands in hot soapy water as well as home & work surfaces regularly. Simple steps to stay well.