Are You Prepared for Flu Season?

Cold and flu season will be upon us soon. Already, my son has come home from school with a runny nose and is beginning to show signs of not feeling his best. This year in particular, the threat of H1N1 influenza is causing people to change their habits. We're hearing stories about schools installing dispensers for hand sanitizer, countries ordering and stockpiling vaccines, and people are wondering what else they can do to keep from getting sick.

Even before the discovery of H1N1 we heard a lot of contradictory opinion about colds and flu. There are longstanding wives' tales about getting a cold from going outside with a wet head or catching a chill, and there are still folks around who think the flu vaccine will give them influenza, or that antibiotics will cure their cold. Here's a look at three common misunderstandings related to transmission and treatment of colds and flu. Learn about the products you don't need, and an easy way to cut down on germ transmission without buying a fancy germ-killing cleaner.

Killing Bacteria Isn't Necessarily Good

Antibacterial soaps at home, school or work won't help us stay well, or prevent us from getting someone else sick if we do catch a cold or flu. "Antibacterial products don't offer any added protection against viruses because antibiotics don't kill viruses," says this Health Canada article on handwashing.

Colds and flu, as well as a whole slew of other respiratory and some gastrointestinal conditions, are caused by these viruses which are not affected by the agents in antibacterial soaps. The antibacterials also kill beneficial bacteria that help fight illness, ("Antibacterial agent not so 'anti' after all: study") are thought to contribute to antibiotic resistance ("Are germs good for your kids?") and the agent triclosan in particular, may even harm the thyroid gland. ("Researchers sour on antibacterial soap") So continued use of antibacterial products is less healthy than using a mild, pleasant soap that encourages us to wash. Antibacterial soaps should be reserved for health care settings or other environments where individuals are very ill or immuno-suppressed.

It's the friction involved in washing that loosens up harmful bacteria on your hands and allows you to wash them down the drain. (Marketplace, "The dirt on clean") To get really clean, take time to scrub the palms and the backs of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails. Handwashing should take about twenty to thirty seconds. Think of singing "Happy Birthday" or "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" twice in your head. If you are teaching children to wash, go right ahead and sing with them. It will make washing up more fun!

What About the Hand Sanitizer?

Hand sanitizers are actually quite effective at killing germs, provided they contain about 60 to 95 percent alcohol. ("Hand sanitizer," Wikipedia) They are recommended for many purposes in health care facilities, and you may be seeing them in your school or workplace as part of measures to prevent the spread of H1N1 virus. Alcohol based rubs are more effective than either regular or antimicrobial soaps. (Guideline for hand hygeine in health-care settings) They are also recommended for situations when water is not available, so carrying a bottle in your purse is a good idea. If your hands are visibly soiled, however, soap and water are the best way to get clean.

Don't Suppress That Cough!

If you do get a cold or flu, one of the most annoying symptoms is a cough. Whether it is our own cold, or whether one of our children is sick, many of us find ourselves reaching for that brown bottle and teaspoon almost without thinking.

But a productive cough is a good thing, so before dosing out that cough medicine think twice. If your cough is not productive, an expectorant like guaifenesin can help to get the nasty stuff out of your lungs so you can start to feel better. If you really need to stop a cough, you may want to think about something a little unorthodox: dark chocolate! Apparently the theobromine in cocoa is effective in stopping that tickle in the throat, whereas cough suppressants may have little more than a placebo effect. ("Cough medicine," Wikipedia)

When it comes to your children, please don't give them over the counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines unless advised to do so by a doctor or other health care giver. Both American and Canadian agencies are now making stricter recommendations against administering these medicines to children, especially the youngest ones for whom an accidental overdose can be fatal. The American College of Chest Physicians recommends children under fourteen not be given cold remedies at all, and in fact feels the benefits of these medicines are not significant in the adult population either. ("Common cold: treatment and drugs," Mayo Clinic) The Canadian Paediatric Society says children under six should only take cough and cold remedies as prescribed by a doctor, and parents giving such remedies to children between six and twelve years old should consult a pharmacist or doctor for advice. Antibiotics do absolutely nothing to help a cold or flu. ("Colds in children")

Don't Cover Your Cough With Your Hand!

We were all taught to cough or sneeze into our hands, and some medical experts are still recommending we do so. But now there is a new movement that recommends not using our hands for this purpose, even if we use a tissue. If we do need to wipe or blow, immediate handwashing is recommended by proponents of the new protocol. Even a tissue is not effective in preventing us from depositing a significant amount of virus on our hands. ("Sneezing into sleeve stops germs spreading") Instead, the recommended way to cough or sneeze is to bury our nose and mouth in the crook of the elbow or up near the shoulder, in the fabric of our shirt sleeves.

Obviously this isn't the intended place to blow or wipe our noses! But because we need to wash our hands each and every time we blow our noses, or sneeze or cough into our hands, it is a better practice to sneeze into that sleeve! It will save time and water, and be kinder to your hands in the long run. Hands act as vectors for disease transmission, which means we get germs on our hands and then spread the germs from our hands to common surfaces such as doorknobs, telephones, countertops and toys. We've all seen the commercials for antibacterial products that demonstrate this vector transmission. Using the sleeve-sneezing method keeps the virus away from hands, thereby reducing transmission. The prevention regime is topped up by frequent handwashing with regular soaps, and cleaning shared surfaces with a product free of antimicrobial agents.

Before anyone close to you gets sick, it's a good idea to start thinking about adopting healthier practices that will cut down on transmission and help to keep us all healthy. Surprisingly, much of disease prevention involves little in the way of specialized products that are marketed heavily this time of year. It might be worth your while to invest in some extra hand santitizer or pump bottles of good quality handsoap that will be kind to your skin even after many washings a day, but you don't need all the fancy cleaners and wipes and medicines. In fact, some of them may not be so good for you.

Sources:

"Antibacterial agent not so 'anti' after all: study" (CBC News)

"Are germs good for your kids?" (MediResource Clinical Team)

"Colds in children" (Canadian Paediatric Society)

"Common cold: treatment and drugs" (Mayo Clinic)

"Cough medicine" (Wikipedia)

"The dirt on clean" (CBC Marketplace)

Guideline for hand hygiene in health-care settings (Centers for Disease Control)

"Hand sanitizer" (Wikipedia)

"Researchers sour on antibacterial soap" (CanWest News)

"Sneezing into sleeve stops germs spreading," Rebecca Smith (daily Telegraph)

"Staying healthy is in your hands" (Public Health Agency of Canada)