Hand hygiene, sanitizers crucial to combat swine flu - US groups

27 April 2009 22:17  [Source: ICIS news]

NEW YORK (ICIS news)--The soap and cleaning industries are reiterating the importance of hand hygiene and surface sanitizing to avoid the spread of influenza such as the swine flu virus, industry officials said on Monday.

“Very simply put, clean hands save lives,” said Brian Sansoni, spokesman for the Washington, DC-based Soap and Detergent Association (SDA).

"If you’re traveling, take along a portable hand sanitizer product. Businesses should certainly counsel their employees to be vigilant about employing good hygiene practices now more than ever,” Sansoni added.

The number of confirmed cases in the US had risen to 40 as of 27 April, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suspected cases had been reported from Canada, New Zealand, Israel and Columbia, while Europe’s first swine flu case was confirmed in Spain.

The swine flu outbreak originated in Mexico.

Gretchen Schaefer, spokeswoman for the Washington, DC-based Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), said she expected people would become more vigilant on taking proper precautions because of the news of the swine flu outbreak.

“This strain of influenza is thought to spread like other influenzas. It is therefore critical that people wash their hands properly, in addition to cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces such as telephones, shared computers and door knobs, to name a few,” said Schaefer.

In the case of antibacterial products, the SDA noted that there would not be a particular push on demand for these types of products as they are not designed to attack the virus.

The group said it was directing people to visit the CDC website for information.

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By: Doris de Guzman
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