With Flu season in full swing, we would like to share with you how to practice good hand hygiene and stay well this year!
The Flu virus remains infectious in the wet mucus from an infected person. Researchers at Kyoto Profectural University of Medicine, in Japan found that in order to fully deactivate the Flu virus, it must be expose to ethanol-based disinfectant for nearly four minutes. The secret to the viral survival was the thick consistency of sputum, the researchers found. The substance’s thick hydro-gel structure kept the ethanol from reaching and deactivating the Flu Virus.
The study suggests that a quick splash of hand sanitizer is not enough to stop the spread of the Flu virus. Health care professionals ought to be extra cautious. If they don’t adequately inactivate the virus between patients, they could enable the spread of the Flu Virus.
For flu prevention, both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend hand hygiene practices that include using Ethanol Based Disinfectants for 15-30 seconds. That’s not enough rubbing to prevent the spread of the Flu Virus. However, researchers did identify a hand hygiene strategy that works, also sanctioned by the WHO and CDC. It’s simple: Wash hands, don’t just rub them. It was found that washing your hands with an antiseptic soap deactivated the Flu Virus within 30 seconds.
Stay healthy this Flu season and practice good hand hygiene!
All of our information was found at:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190918131505.htm