Another year, another flu season. While you probably already know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone ages six months and up get a flu shot every year, you may not know why. Just like humans can adapt, change and grow according to their environments, so too does the influenza virus. This means that every year, it comes back a little bit different. And every year, health officials develop new vaccines that are specifically formulated to attack the latest strain.
Why It Matters
"But isn't the flu just a bad cold?" You might hear some people say. Absolutely not. In fact, for people with vulnerable immune systems, such as young children and the elderly, the flu can be downright deadly. It's important for everyone to get vaccinated in order to help combat the spread of the virus everywhere.
How It Spreads
Everyone who works in an office, for example, understands just how quickly germs can spread. Close work spaces can spread bacteria through touch, coughs, and sneezes, but, as the CDC confirms, people can also contract the flu by simply touching a surface where the virus lives. In fact, the flu virus is known to be able to survive for up to 48 hours on a hard surface.
How to Prevent It
The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated. But beyond everyday measures like washing your hands and avoiding other people who are sick, the most important way to help combat the spread of the flu is to keep work spaces clean all season long. Now more than ever, it's important to hire commercial cleaning services that can properly disinfect common areas such as the bathroom, break room, or conference room where germs can easily accumulate and spread.
No matter how much or how often health officials encourage everyone to get their annual flu shot, this virus can still spread quickly through office spaces, impacting worker health and productivity. Hire commercial cleaning services for all of your office cleaning needs to make sure that all of your employees stay healthy this year and to help protect those who are most vulnerable.
