PHILIPBURG–Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA, calls on the community and visitors to practice proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette to prevent the spread of viruses and infectious diseases.
Keeping hands clean through proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette are the two most important steps one can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Washing your hands correctly should take at least 40 to 60 seconds.
Many infectious diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands properly with soap and clean, running water. If clean, running water is not accessible, as is common in many parts of the world, use soap and available water. You can also use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol to clean hands.
“Your hands should be washed before, during and after preparing food; before eating food; after using the toilet; and after blowing your nose, coughing and/or sneezing. As some viruses are airborne, the flu is one clear example. This can spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing particles into the air,” according to CPS on Tuesday.
Flu viruses also may spread when people touch something with the flu virus on it and then touch their mouth, eyes or nose. Many other viruses are also transmitted in this manner. People infected with highly infectious diseases should avoid close contact with healthy persons and consistently maintain proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette. Considering persons may be asymptomatic with infectious disease, it is recommended to make hand hygiene and cough etiquette a behavioural habit to prevent transmission.
Persons with flu may be able to infect others beginning from day one before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick. That means you may be able to spread the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, when you are asymptomatic.
Preventive action entails trying to avoid close contact with sick people; covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze (cough etiquette); throwing the tissue in the trash after you use it; and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs/bacteria/viruses.
Hand hygiene and cough etiquette are simple and effective actions to reduce the spread of infectious diseases and multi-resistant germs.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/67783-cps-calls-on-community-to-adhere-to-hygiene-practices
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