Fear and loathing in ten states: VITAMIN D and hand soap time

Enterovirus D68: Mystery virus sweeps across the U.S. »

Common sense should pervade your thought on this matter. While getting sick is a fact of life, if you get this Enterovirus D68, and have asthma or other health problems, it could be a mighty bad time of it for you.. And children, as any parent will tell you, have hands filthier than a cesspool of trash.  Here are the typical steps you should take and have your family take, too:

  • Wash hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after changing diapers.

  • Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

  • Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.

  • Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.

  • Stay home when feeling sick, and obtain consultation from your health care provider.

All easy. All common sense.

There are simple ways to halt the spread of this.

I have my big bottle of Lysol on hand, and sadly I am so paranoid in general about sickness all year, that I randomly will do a walk through on the house and just spritz as I go wherever I sense the most germ infested places are.

This virus has scared me a bit—the news is playing up the amount of sick people. I saw a story yesterday concerning a hospital that set a record of new patients in one day—but as I read the story and contemplated it more, I sensed many people were being brought to the facility in a panic. And that’s easy to do with TV news opening their nightly broadcast with dreadful music and harsh graphics showing the most injured of children in intensive care..

This virus is a bit dangerous, as we can see.. I fear it will morph and mutate further. But until then, common sense everyone. Let’s protect ourselves and our young. It’s easy to take a few steps to make sure we don’t get sick. Also if we do, it’s easy to stop the spread quickly. Let’s be cautious.. reasonable.. and safe.