Photo credit:
sarihuella's, flickr
First it was mad cow disease. Next SARS. Then bird flu, and now swine flu—the animal-borne virus that has killed 149 people so far in Mexico and sickened 47 in the U.S. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama, who recently shook the hand of a Mexican archaeologist who died from swine flu 24 hours later, has issued a national “public health emergency” in the wake of the near-epidemic. (Luckily, he’s fine.) Update: a case has now been confirmed in the U.K.
The American swine flu count so far (Latest update 11:22PM ET):
- 28 in New York City
- 11 in California
- 2 in Kansas
- 5 in Texas
- 1 in Ohio
The CDC has declared a public health emergency. There are 3 easy, green and natural steps each of us can take to safeguard ourselves from swine flu:
1. Scrub like a surgeon. Wash your hands often and thoroughly (for at least 60 seconds) with antibacterial soap, preferably Clean Well, a green, clean alternative to toxin cocktail Purell. The “poison free,” EPA-tested germ-killer trades sex hormone-warping Triclosan for pesticide-free thyme. Buy it here … or, why not make your own?
2. Block your sneeze. Completely cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief when you achoo. Still hung up on trash-bound tissues (the average American soils 50 pounds of disposable tissues every year!)? It’s never to late to learn how to buy, love and launder a handkerchief.
3. Limit personal interaction … if you have any type of flu or immune system compromising illness. Consider others’ wellbeing and limit your contact with them. Stay home from work or school until your doctor gives you a (non-contagious) clean bill of health. Also, when you’re not sick, avoid close contact with those who are.
Finally, seek medical attention right away if you are concerned that you might have swine flu. Symptoms include fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Fortunately, there are two antiviral medications that generally work if taken within two days of getting sick. For more information, check out the Centers for Disease Control's Swine Flu and You primer.
How to foster green biodiversity
Comments (7)Add a Comment
Inappropriate or promotional comments may be removed.
There are six confirmed cases in Canada as of this morning. Precaution is the word. Thanks for the tips on staying healthy - or at least minimizing your risk.
Okay...how is *antibacterial* soap or *antibacterial* anything going to prevent a *virus*? #1 is kinda a dumb suggestion. Plain soap and water with 60 seconds of washing is more than enough to help prevent the flu. Don't use antibacterial soap. Don't create more super bacteria. Please!
The flu is caused by a virus. Anti-bacterial stuff only affects bacteria, which is why it doesn't really help to give antibiotics to someone suffering from a viral infection. Using antibacterial stuff isn't going to help reduce your chances of catching the flu. Besides, if you wash your hands properly and thoroughly with regular soap and water, you don't even need any anti-bacterial stuffs at all.
Other tips to avoid disease transmission in general is to keep the skin whole and avoid touching parts that are not protected by the skin barrier, such as the eyes, nose and mouth. The skin is the first line of defense against disease transmission, so it makes sense to keep all open wounds like cuts and scrapes clean and covered.
Thanks, anonymous, for the additional hand-washing tips. Good stuff!
How is Purell a "toxin cocktail"? It doesn't use triclosan.
You are right, Pavlina. Triclosan is NOT an ingredient in Purell, nor would I claim that it is. I simply stated that Clean Well uses natural ingredients in the place of Triclosan, a chemical antibacterial agent used in household and personal products, even ones that we put directly in our mouths, like Colgate Total toothpaste. Common household soaps and cleansers that use Triclosan include: Palmolive, Ajax, Spring Sensations, Joy, Dawn and Ivory antibacterial orange scent. Purell can be construed as a chemical or toxic combination due to its unusual alcohol content: (from a New York Times article titled Don't Drink the Purell http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/dont-dri...) "the Reuters article was in fact about two people who have been sickened by drinking the Purell. One was a prison inmate, the other a hospitalized alcoholic. They were taking big slugs of the stuff because they wanted the alcohol content. But, as the article informs us, the alcohol in Purell is 'not the same kind as found in beverages.'" Also, this from Babble.com's post Child Gets Drunk Off Hand Sanitizer http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/tags...+sanitizer/default.aspx: "Hand sanitizer has a higher alcohol content than booze, and Purell has 62 percent ethyl alcohol. Wowsa." Hand sanitizers like Purell, not Clean Well. From Clean Well's web site: The blend of essential oils harnesses the natural antiseptic power of thyme in a safe and effective preparation. It's the only all-natural antimicrobial that meets EPA & FDA standards for germ killing efficiency. It contains no alcohol and no harsh chemicals such as Triclosan and Bensalkonium Chloride. With no artificial chemical agents, it's safe for kids, pets, and those with sensitive skin. Safe to touch, inhale and expose to food surfaces. Of course, I don't represent Clean Well. I'm just a fan of using it on/with my own kids.
have never thought about it like that before. Thanks so much for the depth and understanding at which you covered the topic. it's a useful piece of information not only for me but for many others. have read a lot on the topic at different blogs and books (download mainly from http://www.picktorrent.com but this piece really gives food for thought