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CDC releases "Be A Germ Stopper" flu
prevention resources for schools
In order to reduce the spread of flu, the
common cold, and other respiratory illnesses this winter and all year long,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), working with the US
Department of Education (USDOE), has prepared materials for educators to help
reduce the impact of these diseases in schools.
School resources are available on CDC’s
website at
www.cdc.gov/germstopper. For example, the poster, “Be A Germ Stopper,” can
be used in cafeterias, classrooms, and bathrooms.
The resources on the website remind students
and teachers to:
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Cough or sneeze into a tissue
and then throw it away;
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Cover cough or sneeze if you
do not have a tissue and then wash hands with soap and warm water for 15 to
20 seconds--long enough to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.
When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand wipes or gel
sanitizers may be used. The gels should be rubbed until dry.
In addition, it is always
important to encourage students and school staff to get plenty of sleep and
exercise, drink plenty of water, and eat nutritious foods every day to stay
healthy.
Influenza has taken a
toll on the health of our nation during the past few months, including reduced
attendance in many South Dakota schools. According to the Centers for Disease
Control, our country’s 119,000 schools reported record rates of absenteeism
due to the flu among students and staff. Influenza is not the only respiratory
infection of concern in schools: nearly 22 million schools days are lost each
year to the common cold alone. With 20 percent of the U.S. population either
working at or attending school, the costs of the flu, the common cold, and
other respiratory illnesses are great in terms of lost work and school days.
The main way that
illnesses like colds and flu are spread is from person to person in
respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. (This is called "droplet spread.")
This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person
move through the air and are deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby.
Sometimes germs also can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets
from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own mouth
or nose before washing their hands. Some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours
or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. |
