CDC Influenza Information
What’s the simplest way to protect yourself from
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WHY?
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Many outbreaks of foodborne illness are traced to unwashed or poorly washed hands.
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Sneezing and coughing can spread cold germs into the air, but most colds are caught and spread through germs on people’s hands.
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The germs that cause the flu, SARS, hepatitis A and many kinds of diarrhea can also be picked up and spread by your hands.
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If these germs are on your hands, touching your mouth or nose to eat, sneeze, or cough can make you sick.
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Touching a doorknob, pressing an elevator button, grabbing a pole on public transit or shaking hands can spread germs to others.
WHEN?Always wash your hands…
After you:
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HOW?
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Washing our hands is a lesson we all learned as children, but when we’re busy or in a hurry, we tend to rush or forget to do it. We think our hands are clean, but they’re not if we haven’t done it right.
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Just rinsing your hands isn’t washing them, it’s wetting them. To get them clean you need to use soap.
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A quick rub, even with soap, won’t get your hands clean, and the few seconds you save could cost you days if you get sick later.
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To make sure your hands are really clean, scrub your palms, between your fingers, the backs of your hands and under your fingernails for at least 20 seconds.
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Use regular soap. Antibacterial soap isn’t necessary. These soaps do kill bacteria, but antibacterial soaps may contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.
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After rinsing, dry your hands with a paper towel. Use the same paper towel to turn off the water and open the restroom door.
Handwashing is the 20-second solution to protecting yourself from many diseases. |
So remember:
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Use soap
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Wash often
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Wash long enough
clean
Your health is in yourÙ hands