The Doctor is In: Washing Hands to Prevent the Flu

Posted by Crozer Keystone Staff on December 7, 2011

Nobody wants to get sick with a cold or the flu, but you can do your part to stay healthy and prevent the spread of flu and cold germs through good hand hygiene; i.e., frequent hand washing.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that you wash your hands using clean running water and soap — making sure to rub your hands together thoroughly and to clean the backs of your hands and your wrists, as well as between your fingers and under your fingernails -- for a minimum of 20 seconds. Rinse your hands with clean running water and dry with a clean towel, paper towel, or air dryer. In a public restroom, use another clean paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door as you exit. If you need to clean your hands but you do not have access to soap and water, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a good substitute. CDC guidelines suggest the use of a hand sanitizer that has at least 60 percent alcohol.

When to wash your hands:
• When hands are visibly dirty
• After using the toilet
• Before preparing meals
• After touching raw seafood or meat
• Before eating meals and snacks
• After changing diapers
• After touching animals or disposing of their waste
• After sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose
• After contacting or caring for a person who is noticeably ill with symptoms of cold or flu

In addition to practicing good hand hygiene, another way to keep the flu at bay is to see your primary care physician for an influenza vaccination. You can get a flu vaccine at any time before or during cold and flu season, usually through the months of October through February.

In 2010, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued revised guidelines for annual flu shots – favoring “universal” vaccination for every American age 6 months and older. Flu vaccines are available as a traditional injection in your arm or, more recently, as a nasal spray. People in high-risk groups -- such as people with chronic health conditions, pregnant women, adults age 50 and older, people who reside in nursing homes or long-term care facilities – are particularly urged to get an annual flu vaccine.

To learn more about flu vaccines, flu symptoms, and what to do if you get sick, download this free brochure, “Flu & You,”from the CDC. Click here for more information on the nasal-spray flu vaccine, and visit the American Academy of Family Medicine’s consumer website to read about differences in cold and flu symptoms.

*Joshua Feinberg, D.O., is a family medicine physician in practice at the Crozer Health Pavilion, 145 Brinton Lake Road, Suite 201, Glen Mills, PA 19342, 610-459-1619

About Crozer Keystone Staff

Crozer-Keystone Health System’s physicians, specialists and advanced practitioners are committed to improving the health of our community through patient-centered, quality care across a full continuum of health services. Crozer Brinton Lake is Crozer-Keystone’s comprehensive outpatient care facility in western Delaware County, offering primary care, specialty services, outpatient surgery and advanced cancer treatment. Contact us: 300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills, PA 19342 http://www.crozerkeystone.org/Brinton-Lake 1-855-254-7425