HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL --The Hillsborough County Health Department says there's an increased level of two different types of illness currently affecting the community. The illnesses include the cold and flu-like symptoms, along with diarrhea and vomiting.
The best way to prevent the spread of cold, flu, and stomach illness is using proper hand washing and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Proper hand washing and covering your mouth are important because harmful germs can live for hours or even days on items like doorknobs, faucets, telephones, and keyboards. These germs can enter your body when unwashed hands touch the inside of your nose, mouth, and eyes.
Hands should be washed:
- After using the restroom- Before eating
- Before, during, and after preparing food, especially raw meat, poultry, or seafood
- Before inserting or removing contact lens
- After touching animals or handling animal waste
- After changing a diaper
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick or injured
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezingfter using
In addition to proper hand washing, one should cough or sneeze into the inside of the elbow or sleeve. Anyone who is ill with fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea should not go to work or school. Continue to encourage your children to frequently wash their hands at school, as well as, at home.
Everyone should wash their hands with soap and water for at least 15-20 seconds. Lather and wash thoroughly, including wrist, palms, back of hands, fingers, and under fingernails. Dry hands with a clean paper or cloth towel or air dryer. Use a paper towel to shut off the water faucet and when touching bathroom doorknobs.
Hand sanitizers are a good alternative to use when soap and water aren't available except when hands are visibly dirty. Hand sanitizers are effective against cold and flu viruses but not against many germs that cause stomach illness.
For more information on preventing the spread of germs at home, school and work please visit http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/index.htm
