78 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • OCTOBER 12, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
wellness
Don’t let the fl u bug you this year
Flu season is upon us, and many healthcare
facilities are urging you to start preparing
now with vaccines. Ironically,
one of the places where you need to
be careful is at the doctor’s offi ce or
healthcare clinic.
Th e number of people in and out of
clinics this time of year increases the
chance that someone will leave behind a
harmful pathogen. Being in close proximity
with people who may already
have the fl u can put you and your family
at risk. You can reduce this risk
by following some simple instructions
from healthcare cleaning experts.
“Healthcare-acquired infections can
be a threat to everyone, especially the
elderly and young children,” said Steve
Zimmerman, director of healthcare services
for ServiceMaster Clean, one of
the nation’s leading cleaning and janitorial
service providers. “Most facilities
do a good job of sanitizing their waiting
areas, but sick people can spread their
illnesses through the touch of a door,
magazine or pen - leaving you vulnerable
to pick up germs you can’t see.”
Th e Centers for Disease Control estimate
that 9 million to 35 million people
will get the fl u each year, 140,000
to 710,000 will be hospitalized because
of it, and 12,000 to 56,000 will die
from the illness. Th e CDC recommends
a vaccination each year for those six
months of age and older.
While the vaccine may help protect
you from the fl u, cleaning experts urge
everyone to avoid high-touch areas as
much as possible.
What are high-touch areas? In a
healthcare setting, Zimmerman defi nes
high-touch surfaces as anything that
multiple people will likely touch during
their visit. Some high-touch surfaces
are hard to avoid, such as door handles
and chair armrests. Th at’s why it’s
wise to wash hands oft en and use hand
sanitizer when necessary. But there are
other high-touch areas you can avoid,
such as:
• Magazines. Th ese are nearly impossible
to disinfect once they have been
contaminated. Don’t pick them up
while you’re waiting.
• Toys. Bring your own toys to help
prevent your child from picking up an
illness from another child.
• Restrooms. Th ey can harbor lots of
pathogens unless cleaned oft en. If you
must go, limit touching surfaces in
the restroom, wash your hands thoroughly
and use hand sanitizer if it’s
available.
• Ink pens. Th ink about how many
hands touch the ink pens in facilities
- whether signing in or fi lling out
paperwork, bring your own and eliminate
the possibility of sharing germs.
• Coff ee urns. For many Americans, coffee
is a must. If you pick up a coff ee pot
or stop in your favorite coff ee shop, take
hand sanitizer with you and use immediately
aft er you pour a cup.
Zimmerman also points out that if
you schedule visits for the early morning,
you are less likely to contract the
germs that typically accumulate, since
cleaning crews oft en perform a deep
clean at the end of each day.
Courtesy BPT