With the world facing its first pandemic in 41 years, it’s easy to get caught up in all the hullabaloo that’s circulating about the swine flu. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the worst could be yet to come, so Americans need to prepare for a large outbreak this fall and winter as children return to school and people spend more time congregating indoors.

Top 10 Most Common H1N1 Myths

1. H1N1 is worse than seasonal flu.

So far, there is no data to back up this statement. What worries health officials is that H1N1 is a strain of the flu that has never been seen before. However, the number of deaths from H1N1 in the U.S. is above 300 or about 1 percent of those who have been infected with the virus. This is far lower than the 36,000 people who die annually in the U.S. from seasonal flu.

2. I’m healthy so I don’t need to worry about swine flu.

Wrong. Swine flu, like seasonal flu, can infect anyone. What's worse is that teens, young adults and pregnant women, who are not usually at high risk for developing complications from the regular flu, appear to be at risk for hospitalization and even death from swine flu. H1N1 does, however, appear to be harder on pregnant women than seasonal flu and health experts are encouraging women who are pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant to get vaccinated once the H1N1 immunization becomes available.

3. The swine flu vaccine will give me the flu.

Wrong. This is the same myth that haunts doctors each year when the seasonal flu vaccine becomes available. “The reason people feel that they’ve gotten the flu from the flu vaccine is because flu season occurs at the same time as cold season and they’ve confused the common cold with the flu. Also, the low fever that some people experience after they’re inoculated is not a symptom of the flu, but a symptom of a healthy immune system fighting off an insult that has been introduced into the body,” says Dr. Amy Ray, an infectious disease and public health specialist with University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

4. Vaccines are dangerous. I’ll just bring my child to a swine flu party where she’ll get the virus and build a natural immunity to it.

“I am opposed to any kind of swine flu party,” Dr. Ray said. “I prefer my vaccines to be FDA approved. The risk from the vaccine is far, far, far less than the risk of actual exposure to the virus. With these swine flu and measles parties, you’re actually getting the disease rather than getting inoculated against the disease. This is not recommended and can be dangerous.”

5. Wearing a mask will protect me from swine flu.

Wrong again. “The recommendation is not to wear a face mask,” Dr. Ray said. “First of all, they’re only good for a short amount of time and as soon as they get moist, which is pretty quickly, they become ineffective. The best advice is that if you’re sick, stay home. Also stay away from folks who are sick and make sure your hands are clean, and practice good cough etiquette.”

6. Using hand sanitizer isn’t as effective as washing your hands.

Hand sanitizers have been shown to be very effective in killing the swine flu virus and should be used not only by people trying to prevent catching the virus, but also by people who have the virus to keep from spreading it to others.

7. If H1N1 is a variant of swine flu, I should stop eating pork.

This is “absolutely” a myth, said Dr. Ray. “All indications are that this virus is spread from person to person via respiratory droplets, which are passed from a sick person into the mucous membranes (eyes, nose and mouth) of a susceptible host.”

8. I’m canceling my child’s trip to a petting zoo because it has piglets and I’m afraid he’ll catch swine flu.

There is no evidence that the virus is being spread from pig to person, and there is no reason to cancel a trip to a petting zoo for fear of H1N1. Dr. Ray said “children should be sure to clean their hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer after touching any farm animal, not only pigs, especially before eating.”

9. I should stop shaking hands with people.

“People can still shake hands with each other as long as they are not symptomatic,” Dr. Ray said. “Again, the swine flu takes a respiratory root of transmission through coughing and sneezing and landing on a susceptible host.” Doctors recommend that after shaking hands, people should wash them or use hand sanitizer before they touch their mouths, noses or eyes.

10. If I get the regular flu shot each year, I don’t need to get the swine flu shot too.

“The regular flu shot was formulated before we knew about H1N1, so it does not offer protection against H1N1,” Dr. Ray said. The seasonal flu shot will more than likely be available earlier this year, and people who normally get the shot should continue to do so. “Certain groups will need to get both, including health care workers, pregnant women, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years, household contacts of children under the age of 6 months and people age 24 to 65 with compromised immune systems. So there will be some crossover, and people should talk to their doctors about whether they should get both.” 11. I have a sore throat and have been coughing and sneezing, so I have swine flu. “For both seasonal influenza and H1N1, the symptoms are a high-grade fever – typically above 101 degrees — headache, body aches, coughing, and occasionally, more so with swine flu than seasonal flu, there is some nausea and vomiting,” said Dr. Ray. (excerpts from www.Fox.com)

One of the main complaints people have today is to be kept waiting. They hate waiting in checkout lines, for appointments, for out of stock items, to be served at a restaurant, on the phone, etc. Faithful, loyal customers will trade in that loyalty today if you keep them waiting. Having a short staff to wait on your customers this cold & flu season can be devastating to your business. Not only can sickness help you lose customers but it can also affect your payroll costs.

Work absenteeism costs U.S. employers an estimated 17 percent of payroll costs -- a huge penalty that can make the difference between profit and loss for private organizations, or massive budget overruns for public employers.

Missing time from work due to illness, or taking care of a family member who is ill, is a part of life. And who can blame the working mom for staying home with her sick child, or taking time during the day to tend to an ill parent.

A survey of U.S. insurers and employers indicated that on any given day, 25 percent to 33 percent of the typical work force is not at work for a variety of reasons, including illnesses ranging from the mild to serious. This is an average cost to small business of $757.00 per year and the average worker will lose $1,044.00 per year in wages. (excerpts from Avoiding the High Cost of Employee Absenteeism, posted October 21, 2008, www.softwaretechniques.wordpress.com.)

Often the uncounted costs are even greater. These include loss of productivity and erosion of customer services that can lead to loss of business and revenue. What can a small business do?

An Ounce of Protection Keeps Germs Away

Disinfecting work equipment touch surfaces such as telephones, computer keyboards, printers, and fax machines can also help reduce the spread of germs and bacteria from one co-worker to another. Aire-Master offers the PortionPac Germicidal Detergent and Healthcare Disinfectant spray to help you kill germs on business equipment.

Handwashing is one of the best and simplest ways to dramatically reduce the spread of infection and the number of sick days, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC recommends vigorous scrubbing with warm, soapy water for at least 15 seconds.

Five Common Germ Transmitting Scenarios

Hands to food: germs are transmitted from unclean hands to food, usually by an infected food preparer that didn't wash their hands after using the toilet. The germs are then passed to those who eat the food.

Infected infant to hands to other children: during diaper changing, germs are passed from an infant with diarrhea to the hands of a parent; if the parent doesn't immediately wash his or her hands before handling another child, the germs that cause diarrhea are passed to the second child.

Food to hands to food: germs are transmitted from raw, uncooked foods, such as chicken, to hands; the germs are then transferred to other foods, such as salad. Cooking the raw food kills the initial germs, but the salad remains contaminated.

Nose, mouth, or eyes to hands to others: germs that cause colds, eye infections, and other illnesses can spread to the hands by sneezing, coughing, or rubbing the eyes and then can be transferred to other family members or friends.

Food to hands to infants: germs from uncooked foods are transferred to hands and then to infants. If a parent handling raw chicken, for example, doesn't wash his or her hands before tending to an infant, they could transfer germs such as salmonella from the food to the infant.

Hand Soaps and Sanitizer Options

Aire-Master manufactures a variety of germ-killing hand soaps and sanitizers to meet the needs of your business. Available in a variety of options: 30oz and 50oz bulk dispensing system or 1000 ml closed pouch system. TO VIEW OUR SOAP & SANITIZER OPTIONS CLICK HERE.

Hand Sanitizer Tip

Many healthcare workers report repeated use of hand sanitizers dry out their skin and make it difficult to get rubber or latex gloves on and off during their work shift. Aire-Master’s hand sanitizer contains moisturizers to soften hands and make it easier when using gloves.

Contact Your Aire-Master Representative

Be sure to ask your Aire-Master representative for more information on disinfectants and germ-killing hand soaps and sanitizers for your business. Take control of absenteeism at your workplace this year. Go to www.airemaster.com home page and click on “Find A Service Location” for a complete listing of Aire-Master representatives, or call 1-800-STINKIE.

The reason that you are in business is to help others, right? There is no better feeling than to be concerned about and provide a solution to your customers needs. Surveys show that customers do not choose companies to do business with based on price as much as they want to reduce their risk.

What happens when a customer is promised a product or service and we don’t deliver on that promise? They will take their business elsewhere. So we must constantly put ourselves in our customer’s shoes. What is it that we can do to serve our customers better? Build long-term relationships with them by providing the best service and products possible.

One of the top complaints consumers make about a business is about “waiting.” People don’t like to wait, in check-out lines, at restaurants, to get information, to find a product, etc. Making a shopping experience inviting and eliminating all the roadblocks of concern will endear us to our current and future customer.

We have talked a lot in this newsletter about the cost of sickness to your business. If your employees are out sick and your customers have to wait because you are short staffed, you open the door for them to take their business somewhere else. In this present economy we can’t afford to lose customers. Each customer is the lifeblood of our business and we need to be as much concerned about them and their needs as we are about our own.

When it comes to odor control and commercial hygiene, Aire-Master has over 50 years of manufacturing and service experience. We are known as the leaders in our industry because we make the products we service and sell. Our manufacturing facility is approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to make germ killing hand soaps and sanitizer

Aire-Master is concerned about your business and the image that you portray to your customers. We know that bad odors are bad for business and we have developed many odor control and cleaning products that can help you with your daily maintenance program. Our unique blends of signature fragrances and true deodorants will help make your clean facility smell fresh and clea

We understand the spreading of germs within your business can be costly to you in payroll and potentially lost business. Aire-Master is presently manufacturing hand sanitizer gel 24 hours a day, five days a week to keep up with the demand. We want to make sure this product is available to our customers when they need it.

Our professional trained service representatives can provide you with free consultation service to help provide a total solution to all your commercial hygiene needs. We can show you how specific products and services will help create an image of cleanliness in your facility. Contact your local Aire-Master representative and let us show you the Aire-Master difference. Because we care about You!

Contact Your Aire-Master Representative

Check out our new website, www.airemaster.com, and see all the products and services Aire-Master has to offer. You can also find the name, address and phone number of your local service representative on the home page under “Find A Service Location”, or call us at 1-800-STINKIE.