Coughs and sneezes and diseases
FOLLOWING the death of a 23-month-old Mexican boy in Texas, the United Nations' World Health Organisation has raised its alert state to five, one short of the maximum possible.
FOLLOWING the death of a 23-month-old Mexican boy in Texas, the United Nations' World Health Organisation has raised its alert state to five, one short of the maximum possible.
It is a development that must concern governments throughout the world and encourage them to take appropriate measures.
For the ordinary islander, there is the temptation to leave it at that. We have an excellent health service with a good record in these areas. The potential for a pandemic is just that - a potential - and there is little that can be done by the man or woman in the street to combat swine flu.
On top of that there is no evidence to suggest that the disease has reached the island and even those cases that are reported in the UK have been contained and are yet to claim a life.
However, the launch of a national public health campaign shows that everybody already has a part in the fight to keep this illness under control.
The Catch It! Bin it! Kill It! campaign from the UK Department of Health reminds us all that good basic hygiene is a vital part of the struggle to contain one of the most worrying strains of flu to develop in the last decade.
The advice is common sense, but vital nonetheless.
Following it to the letter gives the island the best chance of keeping swine flu at bay. Better that than the face masks which have dominated news reports for the past few days. These have now been issued to Guernsey GPs but again are nothing more than sensible precautions.
The campaign, which will be run across TV, radio and in print, reminds everybody that the flu virus is capable of living on hard surfaces for several hours. A simple cough or sneeze into the hand means that everything that person touches for some time becomes a potential risk.
Instead the department want people to follow advice which should form part of our daily lives.
That means using a paper handkerchief to catch the germs, throwing it away afterwards and washing our hands immediately.
It may seem that this threat is far away. Simple precautions are the best way to keep it there.
