Worldwide, strict restrictions and hygiene measures to control the COVID-19 virus over the past year have helped to prevent the spread of influenza to a large extent. Several cases of flu were reported last winter. Many restrictions have been lifted since then. This means that the flu can spread again and this often happens in the workplace. What preventive measures should employers take now?

How bad will the next flu epidemic be?

Distance rules, closed bars, work from home and wearing face masks ensured that there was no flu epidemic last year. How will the situation develop this year? Experts are not sure. There are those who say that the flu epidemic will be as weak as last year. But there are also those who warn of a violent wave.

Apart from the fact that every disease is too much, a strong flu wave would also have unpleasant consequences for the economy. If the wave of illness proves severe this year, economists in Germany alone expect economic damage of up to 30 billion euros. This was stated for the newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” by the Kiel Institute for World Economy. Many companies could be hit hard again. But there are also many things that employers in various industries can do to help alleviate the flu epidemic. We have a few tips.

Measures to protect against influenza infection

1 Offer company flu vaccines

Many European ministries of health urgently recommend influenza vaccination. It is considered to be one of the most effective measures of protection against heavy flow. Therefore, you should offer your employees the opportunity to be vaccinated in your company. In this way, you increase security among your employees.

2 Regular ventilation helps

The flu is highly contagious and spreads when you sneeze, cough or talk. The smallest droplets containing the virus reach the air and are inhaled by other people nearby. Influenza viruses can be slowed down by fresh air. Thanks to regular occasional ventilation, pathogens cannot stay indoors for long.

3 taking fluids helps

It can also help keep mucous membranes moist – because dry mucous membranes are more susceptible to viruses. That is why it is important to drink enough fluids. For example, provide your employees with delicious teas. In addition, in winter it makes sense to place containers with water on the heater. This increases the humidity, which prevents the mucous membranes from drying out.

4 Cleanliness of hands is the main and most important thing

Influenza viruses can also be transmitted through the hands. Pathogens can stick to door handles, fences or objects. If you touch your mouth, nose or eyes after touching, the flu viruses penetrate the body through the mucous membranes. Regular hand washing for about 30 seconds effectively interrupts this transmission path. Inform your employees about the importance of washing your hands with posters in toilets. In situations where there is no water or soap, hand disinfection makes sense. Provide dosing systems at entrances and exits, in meeting rooms, in the canteen or in elevators.

5 Safety on the go

Many employees travel to work by subway or bus. Here they touch objects that many people touch. Handrails and handrails, for example. All the better if your employees can disinfect their hands while on the go. To do this, provide your staff with a portable hand sanitizer solution, PURELL PERSONALS ™.

The bags are small enough to fit in a pocket. They contain three milliliter of PURELL hand sanitizer gel, whose effectiveness against 99.9 percent of all harmful microbes has been scientifically proven. The application is very simple. Hold the package with the logo side up, open in the middle and spread the hand sanitizer gel on your hands. Wait for the solution to dry and you are ready.

The importance of hand sanitizers has become more than obvious around the world in terms of preserving many lives in the last year and a half. Where do you think the hygiene sector will go from here?

The hand sanitizer market has already undergone major changes in the last month. A year ago, all products were sold out in one go. Especially in the retail sector, many service providers wanted to offer disinfectants with hand sanitizers for their customers and employees and were desperate for solutions. To alleviate this bottleneck, the WHO issued a formula for the production of hand sanitizers, which suddenly allowed everyone to mix disinfectants. Many companies that previously had nothing to do with this topic have started producing hand gels. Among them are distilleries, which also deal with alcohol, which is the active ingredient in hand sanitizers, but in a different form.

What were the consequences?

As a result, there is a fairly large amount of nameless cleaners on the market that can be disinfected, but not always. Products are often sticky, smelly or have other imperfections. In the worst case, customers who do not want to use these unpleasant products simply refrain from hand disinfection, which is counterproductive. We now have the task of educating service providers in retail, hospitality and many other sectors about the importance of offering a good hand sanitizer. Its effectiveness should be scientifically proven, and the gel should be pleasant to use and have caring properties.

Speaking of gastronomy, it’s very detrimental to the user experience here if you use a mediocre hand sanitizer that leaves a greasy film on your skin and emits an unpleasant odor that constantly blows out of your nose as you eat right?

This is a very important item. Anyone who offers food preparation services must think holistically. Meals and staff can be good. But if the caterer saves on hygiene, it negatively reflects on his image. The client has a feeling that security savings have been made – that’s not good. When providing the service, everything must be in order – from A to Z.

Do you think that the awareness of the importance of hygiene will remain in the future?

Consumers will be more sensitive to hygiene – that’s for sure. A survey of the hotel industry conducted by Hospitality Net together with Knowingly Market Research clearly shows that the issue of hygiene is now on everyone’s mind. The survey found that more than 80 percent of survey participants planning a trip in the coming months will pay more attention to hygiene offerings. This includes, for example, clearly visible health and hygiene protocols in toilets and hand sanitizers at entrances and exits and in restaurants. The need for security is so deeply rooted that over 57 percent of all respondents would pay more for travel if hygiene levels are appropriate.

Let’s stay on the journey for a moment. The question that is currently in the minds of consumers who are now going on vacation: how to protect yourself on the road? Railway stations, airports, public toilets and rest areas – all these are places where microbes multiply. Is there a solution to this?

A solution has just been offered.

A 3 ml bag with PURELL hand sanitizer gel will soon appear, perfectly suitable for single use. It is intended for airlines, railway stations or restaurants, etc. who want to provide their guests with small bags. Using this convenient format will add extra security while on the go.

Širom svijeta, stroga ograničenja i higijenske mjere za suzbijanje virusa COVID-19 u protekloj godini doprinijele su tome da je širenje gripa u velikoj mjeri spriječeno. Prošle zime prijavljeno je nekoliko slučajeva gripa. Mnoga ograničenja su od tada ukinuta. To znači da se grip može ponovo proširiti a često se to dešava na radnom mjestu. Koje preventivne mjere poslodavci sada treba da preduzmu?

Koliko će biti loša sledeća epidemija gripa?

Pravila o distanci, zatvoreni barovi, rad od kuće i nošenje maski za lice osigurali su da prošle godine nije bilo epidemije gripa. Kako će se situacija razvijati ove godine? Stručnjaci nisu sigurni. Ima onih koji kažu da će epidemija gripa biti slaba kao i prošle godine. Ali ima i onih koji upozoravaju na nasilan talas.

Osim što je svaka bolest previše, jak talas gripa imao bi i neprijatne posledice po privredu. Ako se ove godine talas bolesti pokaže teškim, ekonomisti samo u Njemačkoj očekuju ekonomsku štetu do 30 milijardi evra. Ovo je za list „Velt am zontag“ izneo Kilski institut za svjetsku ekonomiju. Mnoge kompanije bi mogle ponovo biti teško pogođene. Ali postoji i mnogo toga što poslodavci u raznim industrijama mogu učiniti da pomognu u ublažavanju epidemije gripa. Imamo nekoliko savjeta.

Mjere zaštite od infekcije gripom

1 Ponudite kompanijske vakcine protiv gripa

Mnoga evropska ministarstva zdravlja hitno preporučuju vakcinaciju protiv gripa. Smatra se da je to jedna od najefikasnijih mjera zaštite od teškog toka. Stoga svojim zaposlenima treba da ponudite mogućnost da se vakcinišu u vašoj kompaniji. Na taj način povećavate sigurnost među svojim zaposlenima.

2 Redovna ventilacija pomaže

Grip je veoma zarazan i širi se kada kijate, kašljete ili govorite. Najmanje kapljice koje sadrže virus dospiju u vazduh i udišu ih drugi ljudi u blizini. Virusi gripa se mogu usporiti svježim vazduhom. Zahvaljujući redovnoj povremenoj ventilaciji, patogeni ne mogu dugo ostati u prostorijama.

3 uzimanje tečnosti pomaže

Takođe može pomoći da se sluzokože održavaju vlažne – jer su suve sluzokože podložnije virusima. Zbog toga je važno piti dovoljno tečnosti. Na primer, obezbedite svojim zaposlenima ukusne čajeve. Pored toga, zimi ima smisla postaviti posude sa vodom na grijač. Ovo povećava vlažnost, što sprečava isušivanje sluzokože.

4 Čistoća ruku je glavna i najvažnija stvar

Virusi gripa se takođe mogu prenijeti preko ruku. Patogeni se mogu zalijepiti za ručke na vratima, ograde ili predmete. Ako nakon dodira dodirnete usta, nos ili oči, virusi gripa prodiru u tijelo preko sluzokože. Redovno pranje ruku u trajanju od oko 30 sekundi efektivno prekida ovaj put prenosa. Obavijestite svoje zaposlene o važnosti pranja ruku pomoću postera u toaletima. U situacijama kada nema vode ni sapuna, dezinfekcija ruku ima smisla. Obezbijedite sisteme za doziranje na ulazima i izlazima, u salama za sastanke, u kantini ili u liftovima.

5 Sigurnost u pokretu

Mnogi zaposleni putuju na posao metroom ili autobusom. Ovdje dodiruju predmete koje dodiruju mnogi ljudi. Rukohvati i rukohvati, na primer. Tim bolje ako vaši zaposleni mogu da dezinfikuju ruke dok su u pokretu. Da biste to uradili, obezbijedite svom osoblju prenosivo riješenje za dezinfekciju ruku, PURELL PERSONALS™.

Kesice su toliko male da stanu u džep. Sadrže tri mililitra gela za dezinfekciju ruku proizvođača PURELL, čija je efikasnost protiv 99,9 odsto svih štetnih mikroba naučno dokazana. Aplikacija je veoma jednostavna. Držite pakovanje sa stranom sa logotipom nagore, otvorite u sredini i rasporedite gel za dezinfekciju ruku na vaše ruke. Sačekajte da se rastvor osuši i spremni ste.

Nakon potpune vakcinacije protiv Korona virusa, mnogi ljudi su osjetili olakšanje što su bolje zaštićeni, a rizik od ozbiljnog obolijevanja je minimiziran. Ovo je prava prekretnica u očuvanju zdravlja miliona ljudi. Ipak, jedno će ostati: ustaljeni običaji higijene će i dalje biti dio našeg svakodnevnog života i u budućnosti.

Proces vakcinacije napreduje i efekat je vidljiv

Milioni ljudi širom svijeta primili su svoju vakcinu, a čini se da vakcine dobro funkcionišu. Prema trenutnim nalazima, vakcine su efikasne i protiv novonastale delta varijante.

Potpuno vakcinisane osobe su generalno dobro zaštićene od teških slučajeva, što je ohrabrujuća vijest. Međutim, oni koji su vakcinisani mogu i dalje patiti od blagih do umjerenih simptoma – obično ne gorih od prehlade – u slučaju da se zaraze Covid-19. U nekim slučajevima, infekcija se odvija asimptomatski. Sve ovo nije tako loše. Međutim, oni koji su zaraženi su vjerovatno zarazni i stoga predstavljaju rizik za one koji još nisu u potpunosti vakcinisani.

Svjetska zdravstvena organizacija i dalje preporučuje mjere higijene

Iz tog razloga, Svjetska zdravstvena organizacija preporučuje održavanje dobre svakodnevne higijene čak i nakon vakcinacije. Na svojoj veb stranici SZO objašnjava: „Sigurne i efikasne vakcine su alatka koja mijenja igru: ali u doglednoj budućnosti moramo nastaviti da nosimo maske, čistimo ruke, obezbeđujemo dobru ventilaciju u zatvorenom prostoru, fizičku distancu i izbjegavamo gužve.

To što smo vakcinisani ne znači da možemo da bacimo oprez u vjetar i da sebe i druge izložimo riziku, posebno zato što su istraživanja još uvijek u toku o tome koliko vakcine štite ne samo od bolesti, već i od infekcije i prenosa. Zato SZO jasno savjetuje da nastavite da nosite maske, redovno čistite ruke i držite distancu.

Dobra vijest je da su higijenske prakse koje su uvedene postale druga priroda za mnoge od nas. Posebno u aktuelnoj sezoni putovanja, mnogi ljudi obraćaju pažnju na to kakav je nivo higijene oko njih. Ovo potvrđuje nedavno istraživanje hotelske industrije koje je sproveo Hospitality Net zajedno sa Knowingli Market Research. Na primjer, putnici obraćaju više pažnje na to da li su toaleti čisti i da li imaju bezbjednosne protokole koji ukazuju na česte intervale čišćenja. Gosti takođe više vole da vide dovoljno dozatora za dezinfekciju ruku u hotelima i restoranima.

Sistemi za higijenu ruku bez dodira dobijaju na značaju

Kada su u pitanju dozatori za dezinfekciju ruku, gosti hotela preferiraju sisteme bez dodira, prema anketi, i to sa dobrim razlogom! Dozatore bez dodira ne dodiruju desetine ruku. Umjesto toga, gosti drže ruke ispod integrisanog senzora pokreta, koji automatski dozira optimalnu količinu gela za dezinfekciju ruku.

GOJO® dozatori za sapun bez dodira i PURELL® dozatori za dezinfekciju ruku bez dodira dostupni su u različitim dizajnima i bojama. Sistemi se mogu puniti kertridžima od 700 ili 1200 ml. Dispenzeri bez dodira su dizajnirani za montažu na zid, ali se lako mogu pretvoriti u samostojeće mobilne tornjeve za doziranje.

Međutim, važno je da su napunjeni efikasnim gelovima za dezinfekciju ruku. Kada birate sredstvo za dezinfekciju ruku, sve je u pravoj formuli. Dobro izbalansirane formule, kao i proizvodi iz PURELL-a, ne isušuju kožu – čak ni tokom intenzivne upotrebe. Istovremeno, oni su efikasni protiv 99,9 odsto svih štetnih patogena.

Klice zaista nemaju šanse.