What About Drying Your Hands?

Have you ever noticed someone exiting a restroom while shaking their wet hands? Is drying your hands important after you wash your hands? Maybe you’ve done it, too– you’ve taken the time to properly wash, but you’re in a hurry, and don’t want to take the extra time to get paper towels or stand near an air dryer.

Hand drying is an important part of hand hygiene, and shouldn’t be skipped. The reason is simple: germs can be transferred more easily to and from wet hands than dry hands.

Which method, then, should you choose? Should you dry your hands with towels (paper or otherwise), or use an air dryer? There isn’t conclusive research on this topic, as most studies compare residual microbes (not just germs) remaining on hands following different drying methods. Microbes are tiny living organisms which may or may not cause disease, and it has not been proven that removing microbes from hands is linked to better health.

What is clear, however, is the point that using a clean towel or air drying hands is the proper final step in effective hand-washing. So the next time you’re tempted to shake your hands dry or rub your hands on your clothes, pause and take the 60 seconds or so needed to face the world with clean, dry hands.

GlitterBug handwashing products

Source:
Show me the science handwashing (cdc.gov)

Time for Effective Handwashing

Do you know how long it takes to effectively wash your hands? It’s not something we often think about in our day-to-day routine, but for those who wash their hands as a critical part of their careers, it’s a good idea to pass along a reminder.

The CDC recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds, which is about the time it takes to hum the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice.

Though it’s important for everyone to wash their hands, those who work in health care or food industries have a crucial responsibility when it comes to hand hygiene.

The GlitterBug Handwash Timer can help to ensure employees are aware of the time it takes– and the time they’re taking– to wash their hands in a busy workplace. It can also keep kids on-task and help them not rush through the process.

Whether you use a timer, or a trick like singing a song or counting to yourself, be sure to take the time you need to effectively wash your hands to prevent the spread of germs and sickness.

 

GlitterBug Handwash Timer

 

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

https://www.brevis.com/products/444149/gbtimer-glitterbug-handwash-timer

Tips for a Clean and Healthy Thanksgiving

This week families and friends will gather to give thanks, make memories, and share delicious meals. Whether you’re hosting or traveling, you can take precautions to help protect your loved ones from sharing any sickness during your visits.

food-salad-healthy-vegetables-copy
Safely handle the turkey Frozen turkeys should be thawed in cold water (changed every 30 minutes), never on a countertop. Cooking your turkey should be done in an oven set to at least 325° F, and cooking time will vary depending on the weight of the bird. The turkey is done when it has reached an internal temperature of 165° F (use a digital thermometer, and check the turkey’s thickest areas of the breast, thigh, and wing joint).  

Keep all kitchen areas clean Wash utensils, food prep areas, and, yes, HANDS. Hot water and soap will get rid of illness-causing bacteria. It’s especially important to ALWAYS wash your hands and all equipment before and after working with raw meat, poultry, or seafood so you don’t spread bacteria that live in these uncooked foods.

Don’t ignore the leftovers Separate cooked foods into small containers, and refrigerate or freeze immediately. In smaller portions, they’ll be preserved faster and more evenly, and later they’ll be easier to reheat as needed.

Food handling errors and inadequate cooking are the most common problems leading to poultry-associated foodborne disease outbreaks in the U.S. Properly handling food and keeping up with cleaning up will help keep those illnesses at bay.

Pass the turkey, not the germs. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Sources:

http://www.cleaninginstitute.org/clean_living/thanksgiving_tips.aspx

http://www.cdc.gov/features/turkeytime/

http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/groups/consumers.html

Shigellosis Outbreak

An outbreak of Shigellosis in Michigan has caused state and county health officials to call on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for help.

Hand washing

 

Shigellosis is a highly contagious gastrointestinal disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella (shih-GEHL-uh). It’s transmitted by consuming food, water, or other beverages contaminated with as little as a microscopic amount of contaminated fecal matter. Most people infected experience diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, usually lasting five to seven days.

In Michigan’s Genesee and Saginaw counties, 177 cases were reported between March 1 and October 26. At least 27 have been hospitalized, and no related deaths have been reported so far. Many are suspicious of the tainted city water supply in Flint as being linked to the outbreak.

To help prevent the spread of this disease, public health officials recommend thorough and frequent handwashing.

Genesee County Health Division Director Suzanne Cupal explains, “Some germs like Shigella only take a small amount to make you ill. This in an opportunity to remind everyone that handwashing should be a healthy habit you practice every day. It’s critical after you’ve diapered, used the bathroom, and before you cook food. We want everyone to make handwashing a healthy habit that everybody does regularly. Use soap, and rub hands together for at least 20 seconds. The friction with the foam is what’s getting the bacteria off your hands.” Cupal also directed that any hand sanitizer used should contain at least 60% alcohol.

Wondering what some of the biggest offenders are for spreading germs? Check out this video:

 

Sources:
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2016/11/shigella-investigators-in-michigan-bring-in-help-from-cdc/#.WB6Nr_krLIU
https://www.cdc.gov/shigella/

Image source:
https://pixabay.com/en/hygiene-wash-hands-washing-hands-153375/

Swine Flu at State Fairs

 

State Fair season may have come to a close for this year, but some news from Michigan and Ohio tells us about something we should know about when we attend these events: swine flu.

Brevis Swine Flu

Most of us became familiar with swine flu, or influenza A (H3N2), because of news coverage of outbreaks in 2012. It is called a variant virus, which is when a flu virus normally found in pigs is found in a person.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed variant swine flu viruses in 18 people in August of this year. All who were infected had attended agricultural fairs; 16 of the 18 were children, seven under five years old. Four individuals said they’d passed through a swine barn, and 13 said they’d directly touched or handled a pig. One individual was hospitalized, and all recovered fully.

So what should we know before we go to fairs or zoos? Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s vaccine research group and member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, says, “Recognize that these animals carry influenza viruses — they’re the source of them — and so appropriate and hygiene is important. Kids need to have their hands washed well.” Particularly after petting an animal, children should not eat until they wash their hands or use sanitizer. Teach kids not to put their hands on their face or in their mouth while at the fair. If your child get sick after the fair or zoo, and does not get better, seek medical attention. Children who are 6 months and older should get annual flu shots, as recommended by the CDC, which helps stop variant viruses from spreading wildly, and also helps decrease the number of new viruses.

Sources:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/27/health/swine-flu-fairs/index.html

https://static.pexels.com/photos/63285/pig-alp-rona-furna-sow-63285.jpeg

 

3 essentials for effective handwashing

Water.

Soap.

20 seconds.

That’s it.

Wash your hands — often. It’s single most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick. Scrubbing hands and wrists well is a must too, and then a good rinse. That’s all it takes.

Did you know people commonly catch colds when they rub their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus? If you picked up germs from other people or from contaminated surfaces, you’ll get rid of them if you wash your hands well.

So parents–what can you do? Encourage children and others by setting a good example. Wash your hands properly in front of children to teach them that hand washing with soap and water is more than a chore — it’s an important way to prevent colds, sore throats and infections.

 

Sing a Song About Hand-Washing

 

Songs get stuck in our heads and we remember all sorts of things, from useless lyrics, to rules of grammar (Schoolhouse Rock, Anyone?). We use a song to teach the alphabet to children, so why not use songs to teach other important information?

Nigerian pop singer Sunny Neji decided to use his influence to help teach people the importance of hand hygiene. “People love music, so if I could construct a lovely melody and put in some memorable words, it could stick in people’s minds faster.”

The result? An upbeat song called, “Wash Your Hands O!”

[embed: ]

Lyrics like, “Prevention is cheaper than cure,” or, “Dirty hands, they carry disease,” will likely make kids and adults smile or even laugh, but you have to admit: the message is clear, and the tune is catchy.

Read more about this song here.

**Reminder: LAST DAYS OF THE BREVIS SALE!
From now through October 31, 2016, use the code “Fall16” to get a 10% discount on orders over $25.00

Sources:

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/10/14/497701330/some-singers-sing-about-love-he-sings-about-hand-washing

 

 

Happy Hands for Students

Educators know that keeping hands clean is one of the best things kids can do to prevent illness and the spreading of germs to others. Brevis products like GlitterBug Gel and GlitterBug Potion provide fun ways for kids to learn the effectiveness of handwashing techniques.

hh-logo-correct

Right now there’s another way to get kids excited about hand hygiene. Deb’s Happy Hands Contest educates students about the importance of handwashing while giving them a chance to show their artistic creativity by submitting original designs to be featured on soap dispensers.

Educators can register their school on the website, and submit their students’ designs by December 5. Top finalists in three categories (elementary, middle, and high school) will be announced January 16, and public voting will be open for one month. Winners will be announced March 1, 2017.

Each winning design receives three prizes: a $500 donation to the winning student’s school, a $200 gift card for the student, and up to 500 soap dispensers to display the winning design in the school.

Getting kids involved in hand hygiene awareness in creative, memorable ways– whether through a dispenser design contest, or a GlitterBug demonstration— is a win for everyone.

 

**SPECIAL NOTE:

Brevis is offering a promo-code discount for Fall 2016 that will start Sept. 20 and go through October 31, 2016.

The promo code is “Fall16” which will apply a 10% discount to orders over $25.00.

 

Sources:

http://info.debgroup.com/happyhands

http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

http://www.debgroup.com/us

http://www.brevis.com/blog/2016/08/glitterbug-gel-a-primer/

http://www.brevis.com/blog/2016/09/glitterbug-potion/

http://www.brevis.com/blog/2016/08/back-to-school-with-glitterbug/

 

5 Ways to Help Prevent the Flu

Flu season is upon us! The flu (or influenza) causes more hospitalizations among young children than any other vaccine-preventable disease. Beyond getting seasonal flu vaccines, what else can be done to protect against getting the flu?

FLU

Here are 5 actions to take every day:

Stay home when you are sick. Nobody likes to fall behind in their day-to-day tasks, so it can be tempting to go to work or school, or even run errands when you’re sick. Staying home, however, will help others from catching your illness. (Plus, you need to rest so you can recover quickly!) Also, avoid close contact with others who are sick.

 

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue away after you use it, then wash your hands. Teach children to cough or sneeze into their elbow (if a tissue isn’t available) rather than their hands to minimize spread of germs.

 

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. It may take a concentrated effort to break these habits, but remember: germs spread this way.

 

Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects frequently touched at home, work, or school, especially when someone is sick.

 

Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand rub is another option if soap and water aren’t available.

 

Children and adults alike can make healthy choices at school, work, and home to help prevent catching– and spreading– the flu.

 

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/index.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/everyday_preventive.pdf

https://pixabay.com/en/allergy-cold-disease-flu-girl-18656/
SPECIAL NOTE:
Brevis is offering a promo-code discount for Fall 2016 that will start Sept. 20 and go through October 31, 2016.
The promo code is “Fall16” which will apply a 10% discount to orders over $25.00.

FDA Ban on Antibacterial Soap?

 

You may have heard recently that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on certain ingredients found in antibacterial soaps and washes. What exactly does this mean?

 

antibacterial-soap-graphic_yeller

Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research explained, “Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water.”

 

Essentially, by using products labeled as antibacterial, many consumers think they’re receiving health benefits that simply aren’t there. In fact, according to a paper published in 2007, regularly using antibacterial soaps may be linked, over time, to the growth of a dangerous drug-resistant bacteria. Researchers concluded, “Further studies of this issue are encouraged.”

 

One co-author of the paper noted, “…the public still has the option of using hand sanitizers, which work faster and better than the current consumer ‘antibacterial’ soaps….”

 

Back in 2013, the FDA proposed a rule requiring manufacturers of antibacterial hand soaps and body washes to prove their products were more effective than plain soap and water. No data establishing safety and effectiveness of these products was provided.

 

Companies affected have almost a year to either remove the ingredients from their products (triclosan and triclocarban are the most commonly used chemicals) or no longer market their products before the final rule goes into effect September 6, 2017.

 

In the meantime, you can rest easy knowing that your hand sanitizer and soap don’t need to be labeled as ‘antibacterial’ in order to be effective. Just make sure you’re still washing your hands!

 

Sources:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/02/health/fda-bans-antibacterial-soap/index.html

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2016-21337.pdf


SPECIAL NOTE:
Brevis is offering a promo-code discount for Fall 2016 that will start Sept. 20 and go through October 31, 2016.
The promo code is “Fall16” which will apply a 10% discount to orders over $25.00.

Infection Prevention & Hand Hygiene Resources