Flu-ency in the workplace

Do you ever eat at your desk? Did you know that experts say the average office desk has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet?

As the number of cases of the H1N1 virus continues to rise at Kenyon and in Knox County, we become more aware of the ways we may be exposed to the illness. And the best way to protect yourself from the virus? Wash your hands.

"Hand-washing has to be the number one way to stay healthy," says College Nurse Practitioner Kim Cullers. "The hands are the biggest transmitter." Cullers and the four members of her staff have seen numerous sick students, but no one on the staff has contracted the flu. The same was true last year. "We're hypervigilant about hand washing. Take a look at our hands. They are cracked and dry."

While students are in a higher risk category than members of the faculty and staff, those who work at the College still need to take precautions in the workplace. If you wash your hands before lunch, but then open the office refrigerator and microwave to prepare your meal, you need to wash your hands again or use hand sanitizer before eating. A study by University of Arizona microbiology professor and germ guru Charles Gerba found that the microwave landed in fourth place for office surfaces that carry the most germs. The telephone took the number one spot.

"We don't think twice about eating at our desks, even though the average desk has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet," Gerba said in a wire story released with his study.

How do you know if you're experiencing H1N1 virus? A rapid spike in fever with severe chills, sweating, fatigue, and body aches and pains is what sets the swine flu apart from the common cold or other strains of influenza. The average length of sickness at Kenyon is two or three days. Cullers has seen some students recover in twenty-four hours. She says the H1N1 virus is less severe than the seasonal flu that circulated at Kenyon last February.

Employees with the flu should stay home and not return to work until twenty-four hours after symptoms have subsided. Kenyon received 100 doses of the H1N1 vaccine last week from the Knox County Health Department, which was unable to make use of the vaccine before it expired. Those went to students in high risk groups. Cullers was only allowed to order enough vaccine for the student body, but anticipates there could be enough to offer to faculty and staff since so many students have already contracted the flu. According to Cullers, most campuses are still waiting for the vaccine because colleges were moved to the second tier of high-risk groups. The Health Center is not able to see Kenyon employees because of the volume of students in need of care.

Aside from the virus being transmitted from hand to mouth or hand to eyes, the other primary risk is through coughing and sneezing. "That disperses germs everywhere," says Cullers. "You should sneeze into your elbow or your shoulder." What to do if you're next to someone who doesn't take the proper precautions? "Your best bet is to move," Cullers says.