Influenza A(H1N1) (Swine ‘flu) Update

As I write today there has been a case in Germany of transmission from an infected traveller from Mexico to another person who has not travelled, and results of tests are due to be announced later today about the possibility of similar person-person transmission in the UK.

A number of clients have asked me about whether they should buy cleaning products that are effective against viruses. The official line at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is to use your normal cleaning products.

Many anti-bacterial products are likely to be effective against the flu virus, but maybe haven’t been tested as it is an expensive process; this means that the manufacturers can’t make an anti-viral claim.

However, I have worked with Reckitt Benckiser for some years and many of their products have been tested and found to be effective against Influenza A type H1N1, including the old favourite clear antibacterial cleanser spray, the Dettol surface wipes and the Dettol disinfectant aerosol spray.

Hand washing is an extremely important control measure, and the Dettol hand washes are proven to be effective against E.coli, Staph. Aureus, Salmonella and Campylobacter as well as Influenza A type H1N1.

In the work-place, we are recommending that staff wash their hands upon arrival at work to ensure that any contamination picked up on the tube, bus or train is removed and not spread around the building. This isn’t a bad idea anyway – regardless of the flu issue!

Advice is for people to cough or sneeze into a clean tissue which is then binned or better still flushed down the toilet. Hand washing should follow. If you don’t have a tissue, then it is better to cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm to contain the droplets.

Regular sanitizing of hand contact surfaces such as:

• Toilet door handles
• Taps
• Entry door handles
• Keyboards, mice, phones (shared desks)
• Kettle handles
• Photocopier
• Drawer handles

The method of sanitizing depends on the surface. For electrical items use a wipe carefully or spray a sanitizer onto a paper towel prior to wiping.

There are a number of other products on the market that may be helpful such as sanitizing hand foams, hand wipes, and anti-microbial hand barrier creams.

In food businesses, attention to sanitizing hard surfaces regularly at front of house is important, and one option may be to provide a foam type alcohol based-hand cleanser for staff on tills to reduce contamination levels on hands from handling money.

Currently HPA advice on wearing face masks is that the general public should not – see advice at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1240986147745?p=1231252394302

Impending Flu Epidemic

Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A which infects pigs. There are many types, and the infection is constantly changing. Until now it has not normally infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person – probably through coughing and sneezing. Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue. Most cases so far reported around the world appear to be mild, but in Mexico lives have been lost.

 

Whilst there are at the time of writing no confirmed cases of the new flu strain in the UK, the Department of Health has issued the following advice:

 

“It is always good practice to follow respiratory and hand hygiene such as:

• Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible.
• Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully.
• Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people.
• Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.
• Making sure your children follow this advice.
• Travellers to affected areas are advised to consult a doctor immediately if they show signs of flu-like symptoms.”

 

In the meantime, it would be very wise for schools and organisations to re-iterate the importance of hand hygiene and to ensure that wash basins are stocked with soap and towels to allow people to clean their hands effectively. It would probably be a good idea to get a sign up in the wash rooms to remind people of how to clean their hands as well.

 

My blog on 24th October 2008 referred to a hand-washing and hygiene workshop carried out in a local school. This exercise would be useful right now to ensure that staff and children understand the extreme importance of hand hygiene as a preventive measure against this epidemic.

 

The HPA campaign “Catch it, bin it, kill it” has good materials including a useful poster.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_080839

 

Finally, is it safe to eat pig meat? Yes. There is no evidence that swine flu can be transmitted through eating meat from infected animals but normal food safety procedures need to be followed to cook meat properly. A core temperature of 75C should be reached, which will kill the virus and other bacteria normally associated with pork and pork products.