5 Things You Should Know About The Flu 
5 Things You Should Know About The Flu
Does Hand Sanitising Really Make A Difference?
Yes, it does! Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water should be enough to keep the influenza virus from spreading. If you can't, then an alcohol-based sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol content should do the trick.
Here's how you should wash your hands:
- Wet your hands thoroughly with clean running water.
- Get some soap and work up a generous lather by rubbing your hands together. Make sure the lather reaches under your nails, between your fingers and the back of your hands. Do this for about 20 seconds.
- Rinse using clean, running water, then dry using a towel or a napkin.
For further information, Corporate Care recommends visiting Hand Hygiene Australia
Why Do I Need To Stay At Home When I'm Sick With The Flu?
Here are 5 good reasons why.
- You Won't Make Your Colleagues Sick. Going to work increases the risk of spreading the flu, which can lower overall productivity and increase absenteeism. It only takes a sneeze or a cough within one meter to start passing the flu virus, which isn't much if you consider people working side by side in the workplace environment.
- You Won't Spread The Illness. You run the risk of coming in contact with workplace colleagues, clients and even people you share public transport.
- You Can Recover Properly. Rest is an important part of recovering from an illness. You'll know that you're ready to go out when you're fever-free for at least 24 hours. Analgesics can mask the flu symptoms, but that shouldn't mean that you're well enough to get back to work.
- You're Only Wasting Time. A sick individual is an unproductive individual. Workers' productivity is reduced by up to 40% whenever they're sick with the flu, which is similar to going to work intoxicated with alcohol. More often than not, you'll be prone to making mistakes.
- You Minimise Business Disruption. Remember, healthy workers are happy workers, and happy workers equal excellent productivity.
How should one Sneeze?
The best way to sneeze and prevent viruses from spreading is to cover your nose and mouth with a thick tissue. If a tissue isn't available, then you should direct the sneeze to your elbow.
Here's a quick list of do's and don'ts when it comes to sneezing and the flu.
- DO wash your hands often
- DON'T go out and stay indoors
- DON'T use your hands when you sneeze.
Are Handkerchiefs Really Infection Magnets?
Hankies are useful and they lower the carbon footprint as opposed to using a tissue.
According to Green Style Magazine, Australians consume around 273,000 tonnes of tissue products (including toilet paper) and almost all of it is made from virgin fibre.
Hankie Vs tissue is up for debate. Dr Martyn Kirk, an epidemiologist at Australian National University, said that hankies are all that bad when interviewed by ABC Hobart back in September 2016.
Breathing In Droplets Of A Sick Person Versus Getting The Flu On A Hard Surface - Which Is Worse?
According to the Immunisation Coalition, many experts believe that the primary transmission of the flu is when an infected person sneezes or coughs, passing droplets from one person to another through the mouth or nose. The secondary method of transmission is when a person touches an object or a surface that has the flu virus, then subsequently touches his mouth or nose.
There are a number of ways on how you can stop this.
- People who are sick should stay at home to rest and recover.
- Regular hand-washing using soap and water eliminates the germs and lessens the risk of infection.
- Use a hand sanitiser that's 60% alcohol.
- Don't share eating utensils, dishes and linens with those who are sick. Wash utensils and dishes using soap and water or a dishwasher before letting someone else use it.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that come in constant contact with hands, i.e., doorknobs, toilets and tables, more so if there's a sick person at the office, school or home.
Aitor is a Registered Nurse (AHPRA registration NMW0001159845) with over 17 years experience in General Nursing, Emergency Nursing and Corporate Health. He loves Flu, works with Flu, studies Flu, writes about Flu and ironically, he’s had the Flu.
He is the Nurse Consultant at Corporate Care and a proud member of the Australian National Padel Team.