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With lockdowns lifted and travel restrictions a thing of the past, thousands of Australians are now getting sick with super colds and the flu.
Australia now faces a record-breaking flu season thanks to Australians now having lower immunity.
Chair in Epidemiology at Deakin University Professor Catherine Bennett cited 'After two low flu seasons, in fact virtually no season in 2021, we don’t have the usual cross-immunity from recent exposure'.
According to a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, ‘We have become Virus Naive’ Professor Ian Barr, deputy director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, maintains that reported cases are likely the "tip of the iceberg" and infection numbers could be "more than 10 times" those notified on surveillance tracking databases. "The length of this year’s flu season is unpredictable, but we should prepare for the worst and expect a severe and possibly prolonged season".
There are now a reported 88,000 cases of the flu, quite a startling number so early in the season.
So, what can one do to minimise the spread of the sickness cycle this winter? Especially, when hand hygiene is simply not enough to keep us safe.
Because of our compromised immune system, we have become a society that is native to viruses. For this reason, we should look to best practices in hygiene by setting the gold standards with a hygiene 360-degree approach to keep staff and customers safe.
A strong emphasis was placed on hand hygiene from the very outset of the pandemic. Washing your hands and ensuring access to soap and hand sanitiser is a sensible way to minimise the transmission of pathogens from one person to another.
High-touch surfaces in common areas should be regularly sterilised to minimise cross-contamination and transmission. Initial Hygiene has developed an incredibly innovative anti-bacterial film that can protect surfaces for longer from touch transmission, especially at high touch points such as door handles and canteen surfaces.
As the pandemic developed, so too did our understanding of just how big a part indoor air quality plays when it comes to health and wellbeing. Both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) cited air transmission as the number one risk factor in the spread of COVID-19. Similarly, airborne transmission of colds and flu makes us quite vulnerable when indoors. Access to natural ventilation and the use of mechanical ventilation solutions such as Viruskiller can rid the air of sick, dirty, and toxic air to ensure that the breathing zone is free from harmful bacterial and viral pathogens.
Good hygiene starts with a clean washroom. Perceived as a high-risk area for the spread of germs, public washrooms need to ensure that patrons have access to proper facilities. Technology has come a long way, particularly in the hand drying space, and today, there are solutions available that not only dry hands but sterilise and neutralise pathogens that the units come into contact with, keeping the air cleaner and more hygienic to minimise the risk of transmission.
Whilst avoiding colds, the flu, and COVID is not always possible, there are very strong levers that can be adopted to keep the risk to an absolute minimum. Practising good hygiene and ensuring that employees, customers, patrons, and guests have access to the appropriate hand, air, surface, and washroom hygiene tools can help to keep people healthier, and safer, and can keep your business protected.
For more information on how a hygiene 360 approach can keep your business protected contact us today
Initial Hygiene is the leading air, hand, surface, and washroom provider of hygiene. Constantly, innovating to meet the demand of businesses and all commercial environments. Get in touch today on 1300 043 018 or contact us here for a free, no-obligation assessment of your current hygiene services.
Initial provides a wide range of highly effective and afforable air purification to help protect your indoor environment from sick, dirty and toxic air.