Increased Cleaning Key In A Potentially Bad Flu Season

Due to a mutation in the vaccine strain, last year's seasonal flu vaccine effectiveness was just 42 percent, according to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate.

Some experts are saying that this flu season could be a bad one, and despite its limitations, a vaccine is still the best protection, according to an article on the CNN website. But a recent CleanLink article stressed that vaccine’s should not be the end of the story in public buildings.

Keeping high-traffic facilities germ-free year-round is a big task, said Jim Goodenow, director of public facilities management in Franklin County, Ohio. Goodenow oversees more than 40 government buildings used by county employees and members of the public.

“It certainly takes on a heightened sense of awareness during this flu season,” he said. “We try to not only clean the surfaces, but we try to educate our users on how to mitigate the spread of any germs.”

Any building where large groups of people gather need to be cleaned especially well as the weather turns colder and flu season begins, according to Bill Balek, director of legislative and environmental services for ISSA.

“Those facilities should be looking to stepping up their cleaning regimens,” Balek said.

He recommends increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting high-touch areas. Those areas should be cleaned at least once a day year-round, but cleaned at least twice a day during cold and flu season. Cleaning crews should also be trained to follow the directions for the cleaning agents they use to ensure that they’re used safely and effectively.

Both ISSA and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer guidelines for cleaning to prevent colds and flu.

Click here to read the full CNN article. To read the full CleanLink article, click here.