As I write this, Sixty Minutes is broadcasting a frightening segment about the rising number of deaths due to H1N1 flu. Very few people have access to the vaccine so far, so it is up to every individual and every family to take precautions against the virus. We've all heard repeatedly that handwashing and use of hand sanitizers will go a long way towards protecting us, just as we've been told how to avoid spreading the virus once we've become infected.
That's not enough information, especially when talking to your children. There's more they need to know. If the following information is helpful to even one person, I will be a very happy nurse.
We all have two major natural defenses against diseases like the flu. The first is a healty immune system, and the second is our largest organ, the skin. Healthy, intact skin is an adequate barrier against the H1N1 flu virus. If you get the virus on your fingers, and if the skin on your fingers is not damaged in some way, the virus can't get in your body and make you sick. But if you touch your contaminated fingers to one of the openings into your body - your mouth, your eyes, or your nose - you may very well come down with the flu.
The first thing you should teach your children is to wash their hands frequently and/or use an appropriate hand sanitizer. Next, tell them it's dangerous to touch their faces with their hands unless they are certain their hands are clean. ANYTHING they touch in public might be infected, especially the things they touch most often: doors, knobs, desks, pens, books, keyboards, backpacks, and so forth. As soon as I leave my house, I think of my hands as "nasty". Kids easily relate to "nasty" and, with lots of reinforcement, should be keeping their hands away from their faces in a very short period of time.
One thing I haven't heard about in the news that concerns me is the need we all have to maintain the integrity of that big organ, the skin. The flu virus can enter our bodies through cuts and scrapes and burns. If you or your child has broken skin, especially on your hands or fingers, keep it covered at all times with a clean and dry bandage or dressing. It will be a pain, I know, to remove your bandage and replace it every time you wash your hands. Too bad. Do it. Your health - or your child's - might depend on it.
Finally, it's not enough to wash your hands frequently. Intact skin will stay that way (barring injury) if it is well hydrated internally - get those eight glasses of water a day - and externally. Invest in a good body lotion and a really good hand cream, or mix something like Vaseline or Bag Balm with the cheap stuff. Apply frequently, and really slather it on when you go to bed.