Keeping Winter Germs at Bay

How Health Experts Skirt Sniffles, Coughs, Colds and Flu

'Tis the season of colds and flu -- if you aren't sniffling or coughing, you probably are working near someone who is.

But what's the reason for the season? Cold weather and stale air, said one Southern Maryland public health official. During the winter, said Ashley Conway, director of disease surveillance for the Calvert County Health Department, "people are inside and their windows are closed. They're closer together and [viruses and germs are] so easily transmitted. That's when people get it."

But there are strategies to fight the microbes.

"People who haven't gotten their flu shot yet really should still consider it," Conway said. "It looks like our flu season this year is a little on the late side. . . . The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] estimates that 36,000 Americans a year die from flu and flu-related complications."

State Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary S. Anthony McCann said recently that getting vaccinated as late as the end of February can be helpful in fending off the illness.

"This year, we had almost 45 percent of schoolchildren receive their [flu] vaccine here in St. Mary's County," said Leslie Payne, spokeswoman for the St. Mary's County Health Department. "It was a wonderful partnership between the school district and health department. Hopefully, that's going to pay off in reduced absenteeism and healthier staff."

Along with a flu shot, the most effective weapon in the arsenal against germs and viruses is "a clean pair of hands," said Cathy Delligatti, vice president for patient care services at Civista Medical Center in La Plata.

The CDC and other public health agencies have a host of pointers for staying well during cold and flu season. Along with washing hands, it is recommended that people avoid close contact with those who are sick, stay home when they are ill, cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

Shopping for Germs

Armed with a list of recommendations and facts published by the CDC, I recently ventured to several Waldorf locations to gauge the level of epidemic danger.

On a trip to the grocery store, one of those facts weighed heavy as I worked to free a shopping cart from the middle of a long, caterpillar-like line. The CDC notes that viruses and bacteria can survive on an open surface for up to two hours, and the cart I set my sights on looked as if no one had touched it in two years.

But I was stopped short by the kindness of a stranger. Witnessing my quest for the cart in the middle of the pack, a gentleman pushed his warm cart in my direction. I lulled myself into a false sense of security and thanked him, wondering whether I was now pushing the remnants of his or someone else's sneeze or cough.

In her book "The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu," Allison Janse writes, "When you sneeze, air particles leave your mouth and nose at 93 miles per hour."