CPS calls on Carnival revelers to adhere to hand hygiene and cough etiquette

Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, is calling on Carnival revelers and visitors to practice hang hygiene and cough etiquette during the Carnival season in order to prevent the spread of influenza.

Keeping hands clean through improved hang hygiene is one of the most important steps one can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Washing your hands should take 40 to 60 seconds.

Many diseases and conditions are spread by not washing hands with soap and clean, running water. If clean, running water is not accessible, as is common in many parts of the world, use soap and available water. You can also use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol to clean hands.

Your hands should be washed before, during, and after preparing food; before eating food; after using the toilet; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through the coughing, sneezing, or talking to someone with the flu.

Hand hygiene is a simple and effective solution to reduce both the spread of infection and multi-resistant germs, and to protect the community.

Flu viruses also may spread when people touch something with the flu virus on it and then tough their mouth, eyes, or nose. Many other viruses spread these ways too.

People infected with the flu may be able to infect others beginning from day one before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick. That means you may be able to spread the flu to someone else before you know you are sick.

Preventive actions entails: try to avoid close contact with sick people; cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; throw the tissue in the trash after you use it; clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu.