Andrea DiMaio

Two days ago I posted about the continued unhealthy practices applied at the US border in airports (all people entering the country have to put their hands on fingerprint readers, but there is no provision to clean hands before doing so).

A few minutes ago I received an email by the US President’s advisor on Homeland Security, in behalf of Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, who are leading the efforts to prepare the US for the coming flu season. The email points to the web site www.flu.gov, with lots of useful information about flu preparedness.

Irononically one of the pages deals with how to Stop the Spread of Pandemic Flu Virus from Environmental Surfaces, which says – amongst other things:

Clean your hands as soon as possible after coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose.

• Use soap and water and wash your hands for 15 – 20 seconds; or
• Use alcohol-based hand wipes or alcohol-based (60-95% alcohol) gel hand sanitizers; rub these on the hands until the liquid or gel dries.

[…]

Keep surfaces touched by more than one person clean and disinfected. Examples of these surfaces include doorknobs, refrigerator door handles, and microwaves.

• Clean with a combination detergent and disinfectant product.  Or use a cleaner first, rinse the surface thoroughly, and then follow with a disinfectant.
• Use sanitizer cloths to wipe electronic items that are touched often, such as phones, computers, remote controls, and hand-held games.
• Use sanitizer cloths to wipe car door handles, the steering wheel, and the gear shift.

I particularly like the second part, about surfaces. Isn’t it time for the US government (and Homeland Security in particular) to walk the talk?