As the winter season approaches, influenza activity continues to increase. The CDC urges everyone 6 months and older to get a flu vaccine to prevent the spread of the illness. However, influenza isn’t the only disease that spreads during the winter months. In addition to vaccination, it’s important that businesses, schools, and healthcare facilities continue to promote healthy hygiene habits to help protect employees, students, and patients.

Practicing Proper Hand Hygiene

Cleaning your hands is one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect you from the spread of germs. Facilities that do their part to encourage healthy hand hygiene can reduce the spread of illness among staff and visitors.

Hand Washes and Hand Sanitizers

Finding products that don’t dry out hands and leave no sticky residue behind plays an important role in creating a culture of hand hygiene. Symmetry^® products are gentle on your skin because Symmetry understands the importance of providing products that people want to use.

Symmetry hand washes and hand sanitizers reduce common disease-causing bacteria. They are designed for repeated use and are formulated with ingredients like ethyl alcohol, allantoin, aloe, and vitamin E. 

Tools and Resources

Oftentimes a large barrier to reducing the spread of illness is education. Supporting your hand hygiene products with educational tools like posters and signs can help bring awareness to the importance of hand hygiene and educate facility visitors about proper hand hygiene practices.

Symmetry has a variety of tools including Education and Awareness posters and the Symmetry Behavior Modification System (SBMS). SBMS utilizes behavioral science to drive hand hygiene practices in the moment. With colorful dispensers, messaged or mirrored placards, floor decals, and flashing lights, Symmetry draws the eye to a hand hygiene opportunity to encourage the user to participate.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Appropriately 

Cleaning and disinfecting regularly is a year-round task that might need to be revisited during respiratory illness season. Frequently touched objects like doorknobs, light switches, and keyboards should be routinely cleaned and disinfected. Proper disinfection includes making sure your chemicals are diluted correctly so that they can kill the organisms on the label.

Products like Eco^® One-Step Disinfectant/Deodorizer/Cleaner E22 and Eco Neutral Disinfectant E23 combat many common disease-causing organisms, including Influenza A Virus and many other organisms. The Eco Proportioning Program includes proportioning systems that automatically dilute cleaners and disinfectants for any room in your facility. This takes the guess work out of product dilution and ensures your facility is cleaned with products that get the job done.

For more information on how Buckeye products and programs can help you combat the illness in your facility, contact one of our expert representatives.

CDC data shows that more than 9,100 positive flu tests have been recorded over the first three weeks of the flu season. This is the highest number of positive tests that have been recorded early in a season since the 2009-10 season.

To prevent the flu, the CDC recommends getting the yearly flu vaccine. You can also take a number of everyday preventative actions including avoiding close contact with those who are sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and washing your hands often.

It’s important for schools, hospitals, and retail facilities to take steps to protect students, patients, and employees from the flu and other diseases that spread during this time of year. One of the first lines of defense is hand hygiene. Ensure people in your facility have access to effective, gentle hand hygiene products that are proven to reduce common disease-causing bacteria.

Symmetry^® offers hand sanitizers and hand washes that people want to use. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program offers unique tools that can help educate employees and visitors about hand hygiene and promote proper hand hygiene practices. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System utilizes unique placards and signs that draw attention to hand hygiene opportunities, helping you create a culture of hand hygiene and reduce illness in your facility.

Establishing a consistent, effective cleaning and disinfecting program can reduce the spread of the flu and other germs in your facility. The Buckeye Eco^® Proportioning Program has cleaners and disinfectants for all surface types. Several Eco disinfectants have also been approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

For schools and universities, the Buckeye Honors^® Custodial Training Program can provide an additional level of support during flu season. With training modules on proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures for classroom, hallways, restrooms, cafeterias, and more, Honors can ensure your custodial staff are trained and prepared during the 2022-23 flu season and beyond.

Contact your Buckeye representative for more information about how Buckeye products and programs can help you combat the flu this year.

Preventing the spread of the flu begins with the flu shot. This year getting the flu shot means more than protecting yourself and others from the flu. It can reduce the strain on healthcare systems as they continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC recommends getting your flu shot before the end of October, but the vaccine is usually available for most of the flu season.

In addition to getting the flu shot, implementing a hand hygiene program can keep germs from spreading in your facility. Washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program offers a complete line of hand hygiene products that are gentle on your hands while reducing common disease-causing bacteria.

Symmetry also offers tools to help encourage people in your facility to practice proper hand hygiene. These tools are key to reducing the spread of diseases like the flu and COVID-19. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System (SBMS) uses behavioral science to drive immediate hand hygiene practices with eye-catching customizable placards and signs. Symmetry also offers educational signs, posters, and videos to demonstrate the importance of hand hygiene.

Facilities can also fight the flu, COVID-19, and other respiratory infections with Buckeye’s disinfectants. Disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces is key in preventing the spread of germs. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved several Buckeye products for use against COVID-19. These products include Buckeye Terminator™, Eco^® One-Step Disinfectant-Deodorizer-Cleaner E22, Sanicare Disinfecting Wipes, and Sanicare TBX^™.

For more information about Buckeye programs and how to prevent the spread of the flu in your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

The 2017-2018 flu season has been one of the worst in recent history and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity continues to rise. Influenza-like illness (ILI) activity has reached 7.7%, the highest level of ILI since the “swine flu” pandemic of 2009. Hospitalization rates are also the highest they’ve been since the CDC began tracking them.

The CDC recommends vaccination as the first line of defense against the flu and as the flu continues to spread across the U.S., it’s important to remember that it is often spread from person to person by coughing, sneezing, or touching.

According to the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), hand hygiene is one of the most important steps in reducing the spread of germs.

Germs can live on your hands for up to three hours. In schools and healthcare facilities where illnesses like the flu can spread quickly without attention to proper hand hygiene practices, implementing the right hand hygiene program can have a huge impact on the spread of germs.

The Symmetry^® Hand Hygiene Program provides free hand hygiene program analysis to help you gain a better understanding of the issues affecting the well-being of employees, patients, or students in your facility. Symmetry considers products and tools alongside your facility’s specific hand hygiene needs to create a completely customized program.

Contact your local Buckeye representative to learn more about how your facility can tackle the flu and other hand hygiene issues with Symmetry.