H1N1 Anyone?

I just arrived back from Las Vegas last night. Being away from the safety and comfort of my Swine Free zone, I didn’t miss an opportunity to slap on the all important “hand sanitizer”.

I have often been gently chided by friends because of my “germ concerns”. While there are no guarantees I still take all the precautions available. I carry a bottle of sanitizer in my purse, suitcase, coat pocket, car and office. I use my shirt sleeve stretched over my hand when opening doors, flush the toilet with my foot, push buttons with my keys, sterilize my utensils with hot water in the restaurants and have a myriad of other ideas just waiting to be implemented should the need arise.

Does this bottle of germ killer really work and will it prevent the spreading of the virus? In a press release put out by Purell, the makers of a popular hand sanitizer, unfortunately there is no guarantee. They recommend that it is important to wash your hands with soap and water for approximately 15-20 seconds. If you have no soap and water near, use enough sanitizer to make your hands wet and then rub them together briskly until they are dry. This will break down the germ cell walls causing them to die. Does using a hand sanitizer lead to resistant bacteria? Apparently there is no proof of this either.

Living a full life doesn’t come without its risks. I’m not about to shut myself up in my house because of a few curiously named viruses. As a matter of fact, I’m just about to head out to do some shopping –mask, gloves and spray all at the ready.