Three ways to stay safe as horror flu season strikes
There have been more than 26,000 cases of flu confirmed across Australia since the beginning of 2019 – more than three times the normal amount.
Professor Friedman warned of worse to come.
“A new strain to which the community has poor immunity will cause a severe season with more cases,” she said.
Good hand hygiene key to protection
Professor Friedman outline three important ways to protect yourself from the flu virus.
- Annual vaccination
- Avoid physical contact with sick people
- Good hand hygiene
“Washing hands is crucial, as we spread flu either by inhaling infectious droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, or via our hands touching surfaces or other hands which may transmit flu”, said Professor Friedman.
Putting this advice into action in the workplace
You can’t force people to get vaccinated, and you can’t force sick customers and colleagues to keep away.
What you can do, is teach good hand hygiene so your staff can reduce their chances of being infected.
GlitterBug Potion makes teaching hand washing a fun and interactive process.
- Step 1 – Students rub the invisible Potion all over their hands – the potion simulates the germs that are on their hands from contact with contaminated people and objects.
- Step 2 – The students are asked to wash their hands as they normally would.
- Step 3 – The instructor then shines the UV torch on the students’ hands. Any Potion not washed off will glow under the special light, showing the students the places that germs can linger after poor handwashing.