Has anyone here been followng this Swine Flu Outbreak?

[StevePerryHair]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. .

Is that what happened to my hands All those years of glove wearing and washing

[bluejeangirl76]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. And it's just disgusting whenever I'm in a public bathroom (which I try to avoid at all costs) to see the amount of women who never bother to wash their hands. Or they do the run-my-little-high-dollar-manicured-fingertips-under-the-water and that's it so gross and does nothing. I just don't get what so many people have against washing their damn hands!

I have a question about this, and maybe being a medical professional, you can answer it... I hate touching things other people have touched because of this exact reason - you do not know what people have (colds, flus, infections, etc) or what their habits are... (shopping carts freak me right out!) so I never ever go anywhere without Purell or at least some kind of antibacterial wipes, or things like that, because obviously we can't all race to a bathroom every 10 minutes.

My question is, do these products actually work or am I wasting time and fooling myself into thinking that I'm fine with those things until a sink is available?

Those things are better than nothing! I don't care about the reports that anti-bacterial soap is doing more harm than good...yeah right, with so many people not bothering to wash their hands I just don't buy that. Oh I hate touching things in public too. I have Purell and wipes with me at all times too, esp. having kids, I'm always wiping their hands everywhere we go. Shopping carts and gas pumps are horrid. So are door handles of course. People are just disgusting . So yes, keep those things with you when you can't actually wash your hands!

pee is a good temporary disintectant. If you are out of antibacterial soap or worried about germs. Give it a good blast.

Uh, yeah, I think I'll pass on that (not 'piss' on that). Besides, how would that work? I use the restroom, then go to wash my hands, and the soap dispenser is empty, and I have no wipeys with me... but I can't use pee because I just peed.

[lights1961]

1. Symptoms of swine flu........
a. Craving for pork....
b. Pig tails wich has been mentioned...
c. People ranting in pig latin..........
d. People suddenly hurling themselves in a muddy ditch..........
e. Snorting........
f. Sudden desire to watch "Charlotte's Web" and "BABE"..........

love it.

BACON SOUNDS GREAT THIS MORNING!!

[Gin and Tonic Sky]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. And it's just disgusting whenever I'm in a public bathroom (which I try to avoid at all costs) to see the amount of women who never bother to wash their hands. Or they do the run-my-little-high-dollar-manicured-fingertips-under-the-water and that's it so gross and does nothing. I just don't get what so many people have against washing their damn hands!

I have a question about this, and maybe being a medical professional, you can answer it... I hate touching things other people have touched because of this exact reason - you do not know what people have (colds, flus, infections, etc) or what their habits are... (shopping carts freak me right out!) so I never ever go anywhere without Purell or at least some kind of antibacterial wipes, or things like that, because obviously we can't all race to a bathroom every 10 minutes.

My question is, do these products actually work or am I wasting time and fooling myself into thinking that I'm fine with those things until a sink is available?

Those things are better than nothing! I don't care about the reports that anti-bacterial soap is doing more harm than good...yeah right, with so many people not bothering to wash their hands I just don't buy that. Oh I hate touching things in public too. I have Purell and wipes with me at all times too, esp. having kids, I'm always wiping their hands everywhere we go. Shopping carts and gas pumps are horrid. So are door handles of course. People are just disgusting . So yes, keep those things with you when you can't actually wash your hands!

pee is a good temporary disintectant. If you are out of antibacterial soap or worried about germs. Give it a good blast.

Yeah it's been used as an antiseptic. The PH of normal (without infection or disease) urine is neutral at about 7. It's easier for men to "blast" things with it than women though

According to Herodotus (ancient Greek historian who wrote about the whole ancient world) Egyptian women used to stand and pee and ancient egyptian men used to squat to pee.... if true that suggests that all is possible if you train your body accordingly

[Melissa]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. .

Is that what happened to my hands All those years of glove wearing and washing

Yep. And I swear these neoprene gloves we have to use more now are worse on hands than the latex was, at least they have been on mine!

[Melissa]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. And it's just disgusting whenever I'm in a public bathroom (which I try to avoid at all costs) to see the amount of women who never bother to wash their hands. Or they do the run-my-little-high-dollar-manicured-fingertips-under-the-water and that's it so gross and does nothing. I just don't get what so many people have against washing their damn hands!

I have a question about this, and maybe being a medical professional, you can answer it... I hate touching things other people have touched because of this exact reason - you do not know what people have (colds, flus, infections, etc) or what their habits are... (shopping carts freak me right out!) so I never ever go anywhere without Purell or at least some kind of antibacterial wipes, or things like that, because obviously we can't all race to a bathroom every 10 minutes.

My question is, do these products actually work or am I wasting time and fooling myself into thinking that I'm fine with those things until a sink is available?

Those things are better than nothing! I don't care about the reports that anti-bacterial soap is doing more harm than good...yeah right, with so many people not bothering to wash their hands I just don't buy that. Oh I hate touching things in public too. I have Purell and wipes with me at all times too, esp. having kids, I'm always wiping their hands everywhere we go. Shopping carts and gas pumps are horrid. So are door handles of course. People are just disgusting . So yes, keep those things with you when you can't actually wash your hands!

pee is a good temporary disintectant. If you are out of antibacterial soap or worried about germs. Give it a good blast.

Uh, yeah, I think I'll pass on that (not 'piss' on that). Besides, how would that work? I use the restroom, then go to wash my hands, and the soap dispenser is empty, and I have no wipeys with me... but I can't use pee because I just peed.

Oh and for goodness sakes don't SIT on ANY public potty either! I think the seat protectors should be mandatory in every public bathroom now, and it pisses me off if I have to use one and there aren't any . I then use several layers of toilet paper to completely cover the seat! I don't care if that's considered wasteful! My ass is NOT touching where those gross women who never bother to wash their hands asses have been! If they don't wash their hands they probably don't wash their asses either!

[Melissa]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. And it's just disgusting whenever I'm in a public bathroom (which I try to avoid at all costs) to see the amount of women who never bother to wash their hands. Or they do the run-my-little-high-dollar-manicured-fingertips-under-the-water and that's it so gross and does nothing. I just don't get what so many people have against washing their damn hands!

I have a question about this, and maybe being a medical professional, you can answer it... I hate touching things other people have touched because of this exact reason - you do not know what people have (colds, flus, infections, etc) or what their habits are... (shopping carts freak me right out!) so I never ever go anywhere without Purell or at least some kind of antibacterial wipes, or things like that, because obviously we can't all race to a bathroom every 10 minutes.

My question is, do these products actually work or am I wasting time and fooling myself into thinking that I'm fine with those things until a sink is available?

Those things are better than nothing! I don't care about the reports that anti-bacterial soap is doing more harm than good...yeah right, with so many people not bothering to wash their hands I just don't buy that. Oh I hate touching things in public too. I have Purell and wipes with me at all times too, esp. having kids, I'm always wiping their hands everywhere we go. Shopping carts and gas pumps are horrid. So are door handles of course. People are just disgusting . So yes, keep those things with you when you can't actually wash your hands!

pee is a good temporary disintectant. If you are out of antibacterial soap or worried about germs. Give it a good blast.

Yeah it's been used as an antiseptic. The PH of normal (without infection or disease) urine is neutral at about 7. It's easier for men to "blast" things with it than women though

According to Herodotus (ancient Greek historian who wrote about the whole ancient world) Egyptian women used to stand and pee and ancient egyptian men used to squat to pee.... if true that suggests that all is possible if you train your body accordingly

Wow Never knew that

[StevePerryHair]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. .

Is that what happened to my hands All those years of glove wearing and washing

Yep. And I swear these neoprene gloves we have to use more now are worse on hands than the latex was, at least they have been on mine!

I hate the neoprene ones! They smell worse than latex. I hate them all though. Those plastic ones they had for a while, before they came out with the neoprene, were horrible! Then your hands were all sweaty and clammy! My hands just look so OLD compared to the rest of me all of the sudden and I never thought of the glove wearing/hand washing factor I probably washed my hands 50 times a day at work. And I hated using lotion because that didnt' work with putting more gloves on. We wore them all day.

[Melissa]

My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. .

Is that what happened to my hands All those years of glove wearing and washing

Yep. And I swear these neoprene gloves we have to use more now are worse on hands than the latex was, at least they have been on mine!

I hate the neoprene ones! They smell worse than latex. I hate them all though. Those plastic ones they had for a while, before they came out with the neoprene, were horrible! Then your hands were all sweaty and clammy! My hands just look so OLD compared to the rest of me all of the sudden and I never thought of the glove wearing/hand washing factor I probably washed my hands 50 times a day at work. And I hated using lotion because that didnt' work with putting more gloves on. We wore them all day.

Yep, those plastic ones come in our cath kits, I hate those things

[Ehwmatt]

Media blows this shit out of proportion just like always (cf. SARS, bird flu). I'm not worried. No one has died here in the states; hell, only one person had to be hospitalized. I don't think we'll ever see something like 1918 again, barring bioterrorism and some nifty lab-engineered pathogens. Speaking of which, 24 is on tonight. Can't wait.

[bluejeangirl76]

Oh and for goodness sakes don't SIT on ANY public potty either! I think the seat protectors should be mandatory in every public bathroom now, and it pisses me off if I have to use one and there aren't any . I then use several layers of toilet paper to completely cover the seat! I don't care if that's considered wasteful! My ass is NOT touching where those gross women who never bother to wash their hands asses have been! If they don't wash their hands they probably don't wash their asses either!

I do not sit on those. I am a hoverer. A friend was in a nearby stall recently and thought I was power-washing the walls or something (because it's louder if you hover). Out of no where I heard something like this: "Jesus! What are you doing in there" and then... "You're hovering aren't you?"

I have seen way too many disgusting things in womens' restrooms to even be able to consider parking myself on those seats. If I absolutely *have* to, then I have to do construction work first, by which I mean build a toilet paper barrier of the most wasteful order.

[StevePerryHair]

Oh and for goodness sakes don't SIT on ANY public potty either! I think the seat protectors should be mandatory in every public bathroom now, and it pisses me off if I have to use one and there aren't any . I then use several layers of toilet paper to completely cover the seat! I don't care if that's considered wasteful! My ass is NOT touching where those gross women who never bother to wash their hands asses have been! If they don't wash their hands they probably don't wash their asses either!

I do not sit on those. I am a hoverer. A friend was in a nearby stall recently and thought I was power-washing the walls or something (because it's louder if you hover). Out of no where I heard something like this: "Jesus! What are you doing in there" and then... "You're hovering aren't you?"

I have seen way too many disgusting things in womens' restrooms to even be able to consider parking myself on those seats. If I absolutely *have* to, then I have to do construction work first, by which I mean build a toilet paper barrier of the most wasteful order.

Except I hate hoverer's because they always pee on the freaking seat and then I CAN'T hover and I am forced to find another stall or clean before I cover the seat and it's just gross I hope you are careful when you hover

[DrFU]

Nice history lesson on these sorts of things from the London Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 175186.ece

[bluejeangirl76]

Except I hate hoverer's because they always pee on the freaking seat and then I CAN'T hover and I am forced to find another stall or clean before I cover the seat and it's just gross I hope you are careful when you hover

I have decent aim.

And I flush with my shoe, or with a wad of TP. I'm not touching that handle either. *puke*

[StevePerryHair]

Except I hate hoverer's because they always pee on the freaking seat and then I CAN'T hover and I am forced to find another stall or clean before I cover the seat and it's just gross I hope you are careful when you hover

I have decent aim.

And I flush with my shoe, or with a wad of TP. I'm not touching that handle either. *puke*

I do too, and then I think about how gross the bottom of shoes are too

[madsplash]

Well surprisingly I've only gotten 2 calls this a.m. with questions about it. Have to love how the media freaks everyone out though. Nevermind the 226,000 people who get seasonal influenza every year, of which 36,000 die, way more than this swine flu so far (which is still a from of influenza A for the rest of you medical folks like me here, it's H1N1).

Bottom line like with every other virus out there, stay home if you're sick and wash your hands frequently no matter what. Never ceases to amaze me people will STILL drop their kids off at school or daycare while sick. Keep them home. And don't go to work sick, or any other public place sick, stay home. It's really a no-brainer.

And also never ceases to amaze me how many people don't bother to wash their hands. My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. And it's just disgusting whenever I'm in a public bathroom (which I try to avoid at all costs) to see the amount of women who never bother to wash their hands. Or they do the run-my-little-high-dollar-manicured-fingertips-under-the-water and that's it so gross and does nothing. I just don't get what so many people have against washing their damn hands!

Oh and just FYI if it wasn't mentioned here yet, you can't get it from eating properly handled and properly cooked pork.

Couldn't agree more with all that you said. I can add one more thing. When people cough or sneeeze into their hand, they then go and spread it on everything they touch. I know they're TRYING to do the right thing, but I teach my kid to cough and sneeze into the crease of her elbow. That way she isn't spreading it on everything from her hands. I know a tissue is best used and thrown away, but snotting into your hand, unless you wash it right after, is just spreading it everywhere. I've had a few doctors tell me that the elbow is best.

[Melissa]

Oh and for goodness sakes don't SIT on ANY public potty either! I think the seat protectors should be mandatory in every public bathroom now, and it pisses me off if I have to use one and there aren't any . I then use several layers of toilet paper to completely cover the seat! I don't care if that's considered wasteful! My ass is NOT touching where those gross women who never bother to wash their hands asses have been! If they don't wash their hands they probably don't wash their asses either!

I do not sit on those. I am a hoverer. A friend was in a nearby stall recently and thought I was power-washing the walls or something (because it's louder if you hover). Out of no where I heard something like this: "Jesus! What are you doing in there" and then... "You're hovering aren't you?"

I have seen way too many disgusting things in womens' restrooms to even be able to consider parking myself on those seats. If I absolutely *have* to, then I have to do construction work first, by which I mean build a toilet paper barrier of the most wasteful order.

You're a power-pee-er!

[Melissa]

Except I hate hoverer's because they always pee on the freaking seat and then I CAN'T hover and I am forced to find another stall or clean before I cover the seat and it's just gross I hope you are careful when you hover

I have decent aim.

And I flush with my shoe, or with a wad of TP. I'm not touching that handle either. *puke*

What is wrong with those women who pee all over the seat? It's not like we have prostates or anything like men so WTH is all that SPRAYING all about?! My son had better aim at 3 years old than that!

[bluejeangirl76]

Oh and for goodness sakes don't SIT on ANY public potty either! I think the seat protectors should be mandatory in every public bathroom now, and it pisses me off if I have to use one and there aren't any . I then use several layers of toilet paper to completely cover the seat! I don't care if that's considered wasteful! My ass is NOT touching where those gross women who never bother to wash their hands asses have been! If they don't wash their hands they probably don't wash their asses either!

I do not sit on those. I am a hoverer. A friend was in a nearby stall recently and thought I was power-washing the walls or something (because it's louder if you hover). Out of no where I heard something like this: "Jesus! What are you doing in there" and then... "You're hovering aren't you?"

I have seen way too many disgusting things in womens' restrooms to even be able to consider parking myself on those seats. If I absolutely *have* to, then I have to do construction work first, by which I mean build a toilet paper barrier of the most wasteful order.

You're a power-pee-er!

Yeah. I make a very mad splash.

[Carla777]

i must admit iim little scare for the Swine flu..my best friend here is mexican and she went to méxico this summer, and i got sick a few days ago ..but for my luck only was a cold!...untill now in my country there is no cases of the swine flu yet..sometimes is good to be in the last place of the world

[Melissa]

Well surprisingly I've only gotten 2 calls this a.m. with questions about it. Have to love how the media freaks everyone out though. Nevermind the 226,000 people who get seasonal influenza every year, of which 36,000 die, way more than this swine flu so far (which is still a from of influenza A for the rest of you medical folks like me here, it's H1N1).

Bottom line like with every other virus out there, stay home if you're sick and wash your hands frequently no matter what. Never ceases to amaze me people will STILL drop their kids off at school or daycare while sick. Keep them home. And don't go to work sick, or any other public place sick, stay home. It's really a no-brainer.

And also never ceases to amaze me how many people don't bother to wash their hands. My hands are aging faster than I am with how much I wash them with my job, and just all the time even away from work. And it's just disgusting whenever I'm in a public bathroom (which I try to avoid at all costs) to see the amount of women who never bother to wash their hands. Or they do the run-my-little-high-dollar-manicured-fingertips-under-the-water and that's it so gross and does nothing. I just don't get what so many people have against washing their damn hands!

Oh and just FYI if it wasn't mentioned here yet, you can't get it from eating properly handled and properly cooked pork.

Couldn't agree more with all that you said. I can add one more thing. When people cough or sneeeze into their hand, they then go and spread it on everything they touch. I know they're TRYING to do the right thing, but I teach my kid to cough and sneeze into the crease of her elbow. That way she isn't spreading it on everything from her hands. I know a tissue is best used and thrown away, but snotting into your hand, unless you wash it right after, is just spreading it everywhere. I've had a few doctors tell me that the elbow is best.

Yep, that is the better option. Unfortunately there are tons of people who don't do that, and of course don't wash their hands either.

[Melissa]

Oh and for goodness sakes don't SIT on ANY public potty either! I think the seat protectors should be mandatory in every public bathroom now, and it pisses me off if I have to use one and there aren't any . I then use several layers of toilet paper to completely cover the seat! I don't care if that's considered wasteful! My ass is NOT touching where those gross women who never bother to wash their hands asses have been! If they don't wash their hands they probably don't wash their asses either!

I do not sit on those. I am a hoverer. A friend was in a nearby stall recently and thought I was power-washing the walls or something (because it's louder if you hover). Out of no where I heard something like this: "Jesus! What are you doing in there" and then... "You're hovering aren't you?"

I have seen way too many disgusting things in womens' restrooms to even be able to consider parking myself on those seats. If I absolutely *have* to, then I have to do construction work first, by which I mean build a toilet paper barrier of the most wasteful order.

You're a power-pee-er!

Yeah. I make a very mad splash.

[bluejeangirl76]

Couldn't agree more with all that you said. I can add one more thing. When people cough or sneeeze into their hand, they then go and spread it on everything they touch. I know they're TRYING to do the right thing, but I teach my kid to cough and sneeze into the crease of her elbow. That way she isn't spreading it on everything from her hands. I know a tissue is best used and thrown away, but snotting into your hand, unless you wash it right after, is just spreading it everywhere. I've had a few doctors tell me that the elbow is best.

Absolutely. This is why I hate touching things like shopping carts - or anything where people are handling something for an extended time period. People cough and hack all over their hands and then touch pretty much everything that other people are also going to be touching... items on store shelves, shopping carts, door handles, PHONES (don't get me started on phones!)... the list is endless.

When I was a kid, my mom was always big on "cover your mouth!" (yet she was never one to do so...), but as madsplash said... that's NOT good enough.

[Melissa]

Couldn't agree more with all that you said. I can add one more thing. When people cough or sneeeze into their hand, they then go and spread it on everything they touch. I know they're TRYING to do the right thing, but I teach my kid to cough and sneeze into the crease of her elbow. That way she isn't spreading it on everything from her hands. I know a tissue is best used and thrown away, but snotting into your hand, unless you wash it right after, is just spreading it everywhere. I've had a few doctors tell me that the elbow is best.

Absolutely. This is why I hate touching things like shopping carts - or anything where people are handling something for an extended time period. People cough and hack all over their hands and then touch pretty much everything that other people are also going to be touching... items on store shelves, shopping carts, door handles, PHONES (don't get me started on phones!)... the list is endless.

When I was a kid, my mom was always big on "cover your mouth!" (yet she was never one to do so...), but as madsplash said... that's NOT good enough.

Yeah and other stuff that never ceases to amaze me can be disgusting are menus at restaurants, as well as the salt and pepper shakers and bottles like mustard, etc. They can be NASTY. Oh and I once saw a toddler at a restaurant sucking on the top of a salt shaker *barf*. As a mom that grossed me out at the thought of the germs that kid must have picked up (and his parents just sat there and let him do it), and then just in general it was gross to think gee, how many other salt shakers out there have seen the same? And NEVER got cleaned between guests and along comes someone else and uses the spitty salt shakers

[bluejeangirl76]

(and his parents just sat there and let him do it),

That right there is a topic in itself. A good 70% of the stories I hear myself telling regarding surprising things I see in public seem to end with "and the parent(s) were just letting him/her do it!!"

I used to think children annoyed me. Then as I began to face the concept of one day becoming a parent myself, I realized the children wouldn't be doing whatever the bothersome thing is if the parents were teaching them correctly. It's the PARENTS that annoy me.

[hoagiepete]

It is airborne. According to the CDC you can't catch it from eating pork products.

Thank goodness -- I just finished eating my leftover carnitas from a very authentico Mexican restaurant. Hope they get a handle on this soon.

I too am relieved, as carnitas, especially from the authentico joints...are my favorite!. The healthy Mexican food!

By the way...didn't Ned Beatty get the Swine Flu down in Georgia somewhere back in the 70s?

[Melissa]

Here's some facts from work today:

Between 2005 and Jan. 2009 there were 12 human cases of swine flu in the U.S. with no deaths. Back in 1976 there was a swine flu outbreak in NJ that caused 200 cases with 1 death.

[portland]

Just make sure you wash long enough - happy b-day song twice

[SusieP]

Two people in Scotland have been diagnosed with it.
It was on tonight's news. They just got back from Mexico and are in hospital. But they "are recovering well."

[indigo]

Another tip: never put your produce in the little seat of the shopping cart. Lots of bacteria from the bottoms of tots who have sat there previously.

Our Giant Eagle has Clorox disinfectant wipes where the carts are stored for their customers to clean the cart's handle and basket.