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The FlyLady | Commonsense approach to germs

Everyone is hollering about the swine flu and a pandemic. Let’s get the facts straight before we start getting in a panic! In the United States between 5 and 20 people out of every 100 come down with the flu each year. Let’s do the math – 15 million-60 million actually get sick with the flu.

Every year 36,000 people die from the flu!

Over 200,000 people are hospitalized for the flu.

I got this information from the Center for Disease Control. On their website they are calling swine flu H1N1 and this is also a strain of influenza A. There have been two deaths in the United States and 45 deaths in Mexico. There have been 3100 confirmed cases.

So where is the pandemic? Common sense tells me that the flu is bad enough without blowing this out of proportion.

Where was all the hype last fall when we needed to get our flu shots! Yes, I understand that the flu virus mutates and there is a new stain each year. But from what I read on the CDC having the previous year flu shot does help.

Oh, I know why we didn’t receive this information last fall! There was a bad economy and a presidential election. There was no time to for this report on the news. Our television, radio, newspapers, magazines and the Internet was cluttered.

Let’s get back to common sense when it comes to protecting our families and ourselves from any germs.

1. Wash your hands with hot soapy water while you sing “Happy Birthday.”

2. Don’t touch your face, nose and eyes with your hands.

3. Wash your hands before you eat.

4. Use a fork or a spoon so you are not handling your food.

5. Limit exposure by staying home more for meals.

6. Make a grocery list and shop once a week.

7. If you are sick, stay home!

8. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze; use the inside of your elbow instead of your hand.

These are habits that we can establish. Put a sign in your bathroom to wash your hands. Teach your children to wash their hands and set up a routine for this.

If you are FLYing you will be one step ahead of these flu germs with your routines for shopping and keeping your home clean. We cannot live in fear of something that common sense tells me is no worse than any year.

Are you ready to FLY away from this fear with a little knowledge as fuel?

For more help getting rid of your CHAOS, check out Marla Cilley’s website and join her free mentoring group at www.FlyLady.net, listen to her www.blogtalkradio.com/flylady show, or read her books, Sink Reflections, published by Bantam, and her New York Times bestselling book, Body Clutter, published by Fireside. Copyright 2008 Marla Cilley. Used by permission in this publication.

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