Swine Flu Prevention? Alternatives to Shaking Hands
posted by Deven Desai
The concern over swine flu is high and with reason. The CDC’s new report suggests that as many as 50% of Americans could be infected and 90,000 deaths may occur this flu season. The precautions that the CDC recommends are:
* Stay informed. [The CDC website] will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
* Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
* Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
o Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
o Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
o Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
o Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
* Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
A news report on ABC today, however, suggests that this version of the flu may be more easily transmitted by contact. Another report notes an apparent oddity about trying to avoid close contact including kissing and the probably misunderstood claim that one should wear a surgical mask when close contact is necessary, for example while kissing.
So I wonder whether people will start to refrain from shaking hands. Some claim the handshake was a way of showing that one is not armed. The custom of shaking hands is strong and not shaking hands would probably not go over well. Still maybe embracing placing one’s hands together in a namaste position (see image) or the allegedly terrorist fist bump would be ways to greet folks and reduce the risk of spreading germs.
Image 1: WikiCommons; by Saptarshi Biswas; Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.
Image 2: Wikicommons; Public Domain
August 25, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Tags: fist bump, H1N1; namaste
Posted in: Health Law
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