Thursday, September 17, 2009

Swine Flu? Ewwwwww

Alright, I know I can be neurotic, but you have no idea how petrified of swine flu I am.

Before I had the baby I was always germ conscious, but it never consumed me.
After I had the baby I was consumed with germ elimination for about 3 months. Then I came to term with the fact that my baby will run into them, and she will put silly things in her mouth, and the world will continue to turn.

Then she got her first cold at 6 months, and Coo Koo Mommy returns.

NOW:
The state health department has confirmed an eighth person in Louisiana has died because of H1N1 flu, or swine flu. The victim was a man from the Houma/Thibodaux area.
I live in Schriever (The middle part of Houma/Thibodaux)
and I pretty much do all of everything in either Houma or Thibodaux.
This PETRIFIES me.

I wanted to list some of my cleaning rituals (no not like OCD rituals, just habits) for other people to think about.
Most of you may do this already, but I had a friend at my house at the beginning of the week that commented on my daily routine of sanatizing all of my cabinet and door handles.
I realized then that not everyone does that.

1. Chlorox wipes should be your best friend.
2. Sanitize all faucet handles.
3. Clean all cabinet door handles.
4. Clean refrigerator, oven, microwave, dishwasher, toaster, and all other commonly used appliance handles.
5. Hello, light switches--those too.
6. Duh to toilet flushers and shower door handles.
7. Clean any buttons you touch frequently, like washer and dryer setting buttons, hair dryer, REMOTE CONTROLS.
8. Cell phones deserve to be cleaned twice.
9. Your thermometer is sanitized since the last time you used it right?
10. Wash your hand bag ATLEAST once a week if possible. Do you realize how many germs that thing picks up?

Okay. Now we exit the home.
and on to public... ewie.

1. Sneeze, cough, and whatever else into your elbow. Don't spread your germs.
2. WASH YOUR HANDS WHEN YOU LEAVE THE BATHROOM. I mean come on.
3. Leave handsanitizer in your purse/car especially after you shop. Do you know how many people touch those products, cash, ink pens, buggies, etc.?
4. Sanatize your steering wheel, radio buttons, stick shift, etc in your car.
5. Anything your baby/child touches in public=ew. HAVE THEM WASH THEIR HANDS!
6. Don't do samples. Seriously, who has touched that/ breathed on that?
7. Food/toy drop on the floor? Make if off limits for baby/child until it's replaced or sanatized.
8. Don't even go into public if your sick. Be courteous of others and your week immune system.
9. Door handles in public equally yucky. Wait for someone else to open the door or try to maneuver with your elbow or with paper towel in hand.
10. Use your own ink pins to sign receipts.

Alright so I'm not a saint at following all of my own rules, but I'm more aware of them now more than ever. Got anything else I am forgetting?
I'm always up for a new germ prevention method.

[Take note, I'm not crazy, really I'm not. Just aware and petrified of the swine flu pandemic. ]

"Who’s at risk?
We're used to regular flu that kills mostly grandparents. But the real shock of swine flu is that infections are 20 times more common in the 5- to 24-year-old age group than in people over 65.

That older generation appears to have some resistance, probably because of exposure decades ago to viruses similar to the new one.

Worldwide, swine flu is killing mostly people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, ages when influenza usually is shrugged off as a nuisance.

Especially at risk are pregnant women. So are people with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and neuromuscular diseases including muscular dystrophy. Some countries report more deaths among the obese."

Read more at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32597716/

1 comment:

  1. Honey I work at a LIBRARY, I try hard not to think about all of the germs I encounter on a daily basis. Clorox wipes, Lysol, GermX, and another spray disenfectant (Oh and latex gloves) are my best friends at the library!!

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