New studies underscore something that we’ve been talking about over here since H1N1 debuted: One of the easiest ways to avoid the flu is to wash your hands. As I sat here reading about this in the NYT, I was very aware of how often my dirty digits come close to my face:
The scientists counted the times the students touched their faces, documenting every lip scratch, eye rub and nose pick. On average, the students touched their eyes, noses and lips 47 times during a three-hour period, once every four minutes. Hand-to-face contact has a surprising impact on health. Germs can enter the body through breaks in the skin or through the membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose.
Yikes. So I keep some hand sanitizer on my desk, and I sing the ABCs to myself when I wash my hands to make sure all the germs are goners. What do you do to keep flu-free? You can also read all our flu safety tips at www.chicagoredcross.org/flu.
The scientists counted the times the students touched their faces, documenting every lip scratch, eye rub and nose pick. On average, the students touched their eyes, noses and lips 47 times during a three-hour period, once every four minutes. Hand-to-face contact has a surprising impact on health. Germs can enter the body through breaks in the skin or through the membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose.
Yikes. So I keep some hand sanitizer on my desk, and I sing the ABCs to myself when I wash my hands to make sure all the germs are goners. What do you do to keep flu-free? You can also read all our flu safety tips at www.chicagoredcross.org/flu.
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