May 15, 2009
Swine Flu & Worthless Cleaning.
Just when New York students thought it was safe to go back into the classroom, large clusters of Swine Flu have cropped up in several schools, including one where an Assistant Principal is in critical condition. Those schools are closed, yet according to The New York Times story, "At I.S. 5, masked workers could be seen wiping down cafeteria tables on Friday, following a day in which the nurse’s office was flooded with pupils complaining of feeling ill. The problem with that is that it is a waste of time. According to The Centers For Disease Control:
Studies have shown that influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and can infect a person for up to 2-8 hours after being deposited on the surface.
So if the school is even closed for normal overnight hours, the flu is gone from the surfaces and the workers are wasting their time and money "cleaning" the surfaces. One Alabama State Agency I know spent thousands of dollars paying a crew to clean their entire building after a worker was diagnosed with the MRSA virus. The worker had been gone from the building for at least a week when the cleaning crew made its useless and expensive rounds. But I'm sure some of the "leadership" felt much better about themselves for showing they were doing something.
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MRSA, or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, is not a virus, but a bacteria.
ReplyDeleteRemember high school biology?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) "As with other germs, staph and MRSA can survive on some surfaces for hours, days or even months, but it all depends on factors like temperature, humidity, the amount of germs present, and the type of surface (is it porous like a sponge or nonporous like plastic?). It also depends on whether these surfaces have nutrients to allow it to survive longer. When surfaces aren’t cleaned and conditions are good for bacterial growth, staph and MRSA is more likely to survive for longer periods."
ref: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_Enviro_Manage.html#20
While given the CDC guidelines for A(H1N1) - 8 hours - it might not have been beneficial to clean the school to eradicate it and other viri, germs, bugs and cooties, what harm did it do?
And regarding the state cleaning "an entire building" after "after a worker was diagnosed with the MRSA virus," I think that decision was wise.
Remember "Sick Building Syndrome"? Opening a few windows on occasion wouldn't hurt, either! Humanity wasn't created to live in a cave. Fresh air and sunshine is good.
Having worked in a Veteran's Administration hospital out west, I was thoroughly impressed with their internal system of cleanliness, even to the point of having "sweepers" using UltraViolet (UV) lights to scan over computer keyboards, which, as in any agency, are often used by many people - particularly in hospital environments.
Keeping a little Janitor In A Drum®, some Kleenex® and alcohol-based hand rubs nearby never hurt anyone. And besides, who would object to having their work environment cleaned a bit more thoroughly at least once a week?
One of the greatest hindrances to health is a simple lack of cleanliness and sanitation at the personal level. When in public sometime, note how many do NOT wash hands after toileting, or other practices.
So kudos and bravo to the cleaning crew (and those whom ordered the same)!