Monthly Archives: September 2016

Flu

5 Ways to Help Prevent the Flu

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Flu season is upon us! The flu (or influenza) causes more hospitalizations among young children than any other vaccine-preventable disease. Beyond getting seasonal flu vaccines, what else can be done to protect against getting the flu?

FLU

Here are 5 actions to take every day:

Stay home when you are sick. Nobody likes to fall behind in their day-to-day tasks, so it can be tempting to go to work or school, or even run errands when you’re sick. Staying home, however, will help others from catching your illness. (Plus, you need to rest so you can recover quickly!) Also, avoid close contact with others who are sick.

 

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue away after you use it, then wash your hands. Teach children to cough or sneeze into their elbow (if a tissue isn’t available) rather than their hands to minimize spread of germs.

 

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. It may take a concentrated effort to break these habits, but remember: germs spread this way.

 

Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects frequently touched at home, work, or school, especially when someone is sick.

 

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand rub is another option if soap and water aren’t available.

 

Children and adults alike can make healthy choices at school, work, and home to help prevent catching– and spreading– the flu.

 

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/index.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/everyday_preventive.pdf

https://pixabay.com/en/allergy-cold-disease-flu-girl-18656/
SPECIAL NOTE:
Brevis is offering a promo-code discount for Fall 2016 that will start Sept. 20 and go through October 31, 2016.
The promo code is “Fall16” which will apply a 10% discount to orders over $25.00.

Hand Hygiene, Infection prevention

FDA Ban on Antibacterial Soap?

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You may have heard recently that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on certain ingredients found in antibacterial soaps and washes. What exactly does this mean?

 

antibacterial-soap-graphic_yeller

Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research explained, “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water.”

 

Essentially, by using products labeled as antibacterial, many consumers think they’re receiving health benefits that simply aren’t there. In fact, according to a paper published in 2007, regularly using antibacterial soaps may be linked, over time, to the growth of a dangerous drug-resistant bacteria. Researchers concluded, “Further studies of this issue are encouraged.”

 

One co-author of the paper noted, “…the public still has the option of using hand sanitizers, which work faster and better than the current consumer ‘antibacterial’ soaps….”

 

Back in 2013, the FDA proposed a rule requiring manufacturers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to prove their products were more effective than plain soap and water. No data establishing safety and effectiveness of these products was provided.

 

Companies affected have almost a year to either remove the ingredients from their products (triclosan and triclocarban are the most commonly used chemicals) or no longer market their products before the final rule goes into effect September 6, 2017.

 

In the meantime, you can rest easy knowing that your hand sanitizer and soap don’t need to be labeled as ‘antibacterial’ in order to be effective. Just make sure you’re still washing your hands!

 

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/02/health/fda-bans-antibacterial-soap/index.html

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2016-21337.pdf


SPECIAL NOTE:
Brevis is offering a promo-code discount for Fall 2016 that will start Sept. 20 and go through October 31, 2016.
The promo code is “Fall16” which will apply a 10% discount to orders over $25.00.

Handwashing Saves Lives, Infection prevention

GlitterBug Potion

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Not long ago we shared a primer on how to use GlitterBug Gel — a great product for measuring the effectiveness of how hand sanitizer is applied. But what about those of us who don’t use hand sanitizer? If you prefer to wash your hands using soap and water, GlitterBug Potion is for you!

gb.potion

We usually think of potion as a substance used in mythology or magic; the stuff of fairy tales and imagination. GlitterBug Potion, however, is a real product used to teach good handwashing technique. The potion consists of a UV fluorescent powder mixed in a special hand lotion.

 

To see how GlitterBug Potion works, apply the Potion as you would any other lotion. Next, wash your hands as you normally would with soap and water. Dry your hands thoroughly, then check under the light (such as the GlitterBug Disclosure Center). Are any areas of your hands glowing? Those are the areas you need to wash more thoroughly.

 

Commonly missed areas include the knuckles, sides of the hands, and fingernail area. Consider using a GlitterBug Hand and Nail Scrub Brush to reach those tough spots.

 

For cleaner hands, a magic wand won’t help you, but GlitterBug Potion will!