wash your hands

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm

I think you are all silly (and double that if anyone here smokes or drives without a seatbelt).

A couple of weeks ago my 4 year old had a bad flu (I don't know if it was the swine variety)-- but she had a 103 fever, pains, sneezing... it was a nasty bug.

So I did something you all might think is stupid... I doted over her. I snuggled with her, I kissed her, I read her stories, I cleaned up various bodily fluids. In the process she even sneezed on me more than once.

Funny thing... I never even thought twice about it until I read these threads. But, I figure that after being a father, doing whatever yoga pose it would take to flush a urinal with my shoe is just silliness.

I have no problem taking public transportation (which is not only good for me since the exercise certainly mitigates the health risk of my contact with viruses, it is also good for the planet).

This neurotic paper towel thing is really insane when you think of the places you get microbes that aren't door handles (or kids)-- keyboards, pens, dollar bills, office air, restaurant chairs.

I'm am sorry... but this obsessive behavior is nothing more than nonsense.

I do handwashing... after I use the bathroom and before I eat. Occasionally I will use an alcohol-based lotion. I also figure that since its the germs on the inside that really hurt-- I drink tequila on the weekends. But I don't do silly paper-towel or toilet flushing tricks.

But come on people. Life is for living (and whatever neurotic games you play won't stop you from dying at then end).

Hawkeye, I went to your link and searched for the word "anti-bacterial". That word is not contained on the page.

(Actually in additional to not having anything to do with the flu, most scientists think that anti-bacterial soap is harmful as it gives microbes the chance to develop immunity without really helping the people who are using it.)

Plus, bacteria-less skin is the perfect growing ground for yeast infections. Something to keep in mind before aiming for germ-less skin.

But hey, don't listen to me. I'm just depressed because all those clean people in this thread make me feel dirty, unhygienic, and infectious.

It's all just a matter of common-sense and moderation, isn't it? I mean, if you know your friend Lucy is blowing her nose, coughing, and has a fever yet wants you to come over, would you go? Probably not.

I don't do any excessive hand-washing or wiping or spraying - in fact, no wiping or spraying at all. And hand-washing only as I was brought up - around bathrooms, food, and babies. I get sick probably once a year - big deal. I can handle it. And sometimes you're going to get sick no matter how much wiping you do just because you're tired or your immune system is low.

They're saying this H1N1 virus is airborne, so even if you washed, sprayed, and wiped your whole body thirty times a day, you could still get this virus -- just from breathing. So is the answer not to go out of your house at all? Obviously not.

In restaurants, we wipe our counters etc with a solution of bleach and water when we don't have a commercial product. And when I think I'm getting a cold or the 'flu, I make myself a hot rum with honey, lemon and cinnamon and it seems to ward it off - possibly the alcohol? Those commercial products never work with me.

Jes' sayin'.

Thomas - how's the employment situation going?

This is what the CDC says re swine flu. I am not sure if that helps your position or not, but we do know what their recommendations are.

I have also seen where experts say that hand washing is useless no matter what kind of soap you use, so who knows. Maybe the government is trying to keep us occupied with useless projects so that we will get the idea that we are doing something, that we have some power over swine flu that in reality we don't have. I do know that we cant get a straight answer, so there-for I don't intend to trouble myself by worrying about it.

Possibly the most sensible post I've read on this thread. The hygienic paranoia seems to be peaking as a result of the most recent disease of the mon th to get excited about. Today it's swine flue, tomorrow . . .

What you say makes really sence and is so far the most sensibel answer here.
Being overly careful just makes us more sick as bacteria has a chance to grow.
Swineflu is airborne up to 300 meters. So while I am hysterically washing and using alcohol handwashing I can on the same time breath in swineflu.

I just like ebrown p believe in being sensible and not being hystrical.

I use public transportation as it is good for me to walk and ride and be outdoors too.
The other day I did flush the toilet in the train by my foot. It was an old waggon where you had to flush with your foot.

Well be careful next time - you don't want to slip.

I always wondered that as well - virus isn't killed by bacteria, but yet it supposedly does when washing your hands.

By the way I just used my hand sanitizer and looked at the label - it says "meets CDC handwashing recommendations" and on the back as part of its uses it says for handwashing to decrease bacteria on skin without soap and water.

ebrown - I did give a sh*t about being green (unless it is as a color I get from having the flu) - there is no link between exercise and public transportation - unless you live a mile from it and walk to it at least from all the fat a$$es I used to see on the subway. The subway is a germ infested, low life way to travel.

I love burning up fuel in the comfort of my car - nice and warm with some music blasting that I can just sing my damn heart out.

There ya go - ya tree hugger!

From my perspective Linkat, your car is a germ infested, low life way to travel.

(and would you please stop that singing)

Washing your hands makes the virus' 'slip' off of them. Most bacteria/virus' are removed from your hand by slipping off.

There is a big difference between "alcohol based hand rub" and "anti-bacterial soap". No one here has said anything against alcohol based hand rubs. And, for that matter, everyone here agrees that hand washing is a good thing.

It is the Anti-bacterial soaps, which contain bactericidal chemicals like triclosan, which are the problem. Not only do they not stop flu (since they don't kill viruses) any more than normal soap. The bactericidal chemicals also have bad side-effect that harm your health.

Let's recap: Hand washing with normal soap and water good, alcohol-based hand wash good, anti-bacterial soap containing bactericidal chemicals bad.

I'm not germ-conscious; I'm fecal-matter conscious. Have you seen how many people leave the toilet without washing their hands? It does no good to wash my hands, then open a door covered with sh!t.

Just remember: you're touching a handle that I just scraped my shoe on. My shoe... that's just been in contact with the floor of a public toilet....

Yep I'm a low life and I'm loving it! Seeing I am so anal - I've disinfected the car from inside out - not one ioto of germs could live in that!

So any sort of cream should work if it "slips" off - not just this CDC approved stuff.

OK - thanks I can go on using my CDC alcohol based stuff.

The problem with neuroses is that they are not logical. The little obsessive rituals you perform don't even work the way you want them to.

These same people who leave the toilet without washing their hands... well they handle the money you have in your wallet. They press the ATM keys you use at your bank. They touch the chair you touch at a restaurant. They read the magazines you read in waiting rooms. They touch your steering wheel when leave you car with a valet or at the shop.

The world is filled with fecal matter.

I suppose this germaphobic behavior would make a bit of sense if you were consistent. After all, it doesn't make sense if you come out of the bathroom with your non-door-contaminated hands only to pick up one of the sh!t covered pens that are lying around all of our workplaces.

You could put on rubber gloves every time you take out your wallet. You could use disposable little straws to push the ATM buttons. You could insist that no one at your workplace touch your personal keyboard.

But, then there is the fact that those of us who don't obsess over "fecal matter" live perfectly happy, healthy lives.

By the way, how do people like you ever survive being a parent of a toddler?