▶ Essential to prevent flu infection… Wash your hands as often as possible
What’s the best way to deal with a flu epidemic? Experts emphasized that refraining from touching your face with your hands is a great help in preventing flu infection.
In a situation where ‘Triple Demic’ such as Corona 19, flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are being warned, experts advised residents not to touch their faces with their hands to cope with disease prevention themselves.
Dr. Ralph Gonzalez of UC San Francisco said, “The thing I want to emphasize most is to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with your hands. It has been proven that it can be done,” he explained.
A 2015 study found that people, on average, touch their face with their hands more than 23 times an hour.
Experts said, “There are many people who habitually touch their face frequently, and it is necessary to deliberately check their habits to prevent disease infection during the winter season.”
Some viruses on hands can survive on hands for several days, and people can become infected with diseases such as the flu and RSV by touching their face with contaminated hands.
In California, the flu risk level is ‘high’, the second of the CDC-defined levels, and the flu risk is very serious. California’s most recent (as of the last 12 days) flu positive test rate was 14.7%, the highest compared to the same period in the past five years.
On the other hand, in the case of COVID-19 infection, it is transmitted through the air, so the general route of infection is to spread the virus through the sneezes and coughs of others rather than the virus on the hands.
Seok In-hee Reporter>
