How to keep your family safe from Norovirus

TOLEDO (WTOL) - It’s that time of year again. Families are doing everything to keep everyone healthy.

And while preventing the flu is usually the biggest worry, Norovirus is a sicknesses that we often forget about. It’s an illness that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea.

“We sometimes think that sometimes when you get the flu, it’s like the stomach flu but it’s probably a food poisoning or Norovirus something along those lines,” said Lucas County Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski.

One place where Norovirus is common is in schools. Perrysburg High School nurse Debbie Reddick said educating children about how to protect themselves from these types of sicknesses is the first step to preventing them.

“At our elementary buildings our nurses do try and do some in class education as far as hand-washing. The other thing we try and focus on in addition to the hand-washing is not touching the T-zone, eyes, nose and mouth” said Reddick.

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WASHINGTON (ABC7) — On day seven of the partial government shutdown, 71-year-old Lila Johnson is sharing her story in hopes of putting a face to the struggle that impacted workers are now experiencing.

"I won't be able to pay my bills, it's as simple as that," she said.

Johnson works at the Department of Agriculture as a janitor, cleaning bathrooms on a contract basis. When the shutdown began exactly a week ago, she says it was her supervisor who broke the news.

And because she is a federally contracted employee, Johnson likely won't get the back pay that Congress typically provides to federal workers once a shutdown is over.

Government contractors are paid through third party companies, and those companies can't charge the government for services that aren’t provided during a shutdown.

"We're not going to get paid and we can't get that money back," said Johnson.

More at source: ABC

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NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Three floors of a Jefferson Parish government building sustained “significant” water damage after a “janitorial mishap” Saturday (Jan. 5), according to parish news release.

The Jefferson Parish General Government Building in the 200 block of Derbigny Drive will be open for normal operations Monday, despite the ongoing effort to clean up and repair the third, fourth and fifth floors.

In a statement, Parish President Mike Yenni applauded Anthony Francis, Director of General Services and the General Services team for their quick response, calling it "another example of great work by our dedicated Jefferson Parish employees.”

Left the water running in the deep sink with a bucket blocking the drain? - Matt

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Even if you’re not usually a germaphobe, cold and flu season can have the strongest-willed of us feeling squeamish about touching things like bus and subway poles, doorknobs, and even shaking a stranger’s hand. As many moms like to remind their kids: You don’t know where that hand has been. And during the colder months, when it seems that everyone is sniffling and sneezing, a hands-off policy may seem smart.

But how likely is it really that you’d get sick from touching an infected handrail or countertop?

Pretty likely, Alison Carey, MD, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Drexel University, tells Health. “Flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces (like bus poles) .. door knobs, light switches, bathroom fixtures, elevator buttons, gas pumps... etc. and infect another person for 24 to 48 hours,” she says. “Cold viruses don’t survive as long—usually a few hours. But there is evidence that they can survive and be passed on for up to 24 hours.”

More at source: Health.com

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A new Edmonton-based app aims to become the "Uber of house cleaning."

"Everyone has watched the growth of Uber and Skip the Dishes and all these other on-demand services and, for whatever reason, ... no one has really touched cleaning," said Angus Gastle, CEO of CleanNow on CBC's Radio Active.

"Maybe it's not sexy or maybe they don't understand it."

Handy, a cleaning service app developed in the New York, is available in Toronto and Vancouver, but, for now, there still isn't a service like this available across Canada, Gastle said.

CleanNow launched in Edmonton in November with plans to expand to Calgary and then across Canada, he said. 

Gastle said he has already connected with 5,000 cleaners throughout the country.

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Local employers are scrambling to keep their offices flu free after more than 80,000 Americans died from flu-related illnesses last year − the highest death toll in more than 40 years.

Unfortunately, many workers who come to work sick pass along germs at the office, which becomes a breeding ground for disease. Studies indicate the average adult brings their fingers to the nose, mouth or eyes about 16 times per hour, and germs thrive on human touch. The flu can cost the United States up to $167 billion per year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.

That’s why local cleaning pros with Stratus Building Solutions, the nation’s leading commercial cleaning and janitorial company, have created “Fight the Office Flu” kits to help businesses stay as flu-free as possible.

More at source: Omaha.com

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United Maintenance — one of the O’Hare Airport contract-holders cited by Chicago’s former aviation commissioner as getting special attention from Ald. Ed Burke — has made headlines before.

The janitorial services firm is run by Rick Simon, a former Chicago police officer with a controversial past.

Simon once had on his payroll a man who served prison time after being indicted along with the late mob boss Anthony “Big Tuna” Accardo.

Simon also was partners in a heavy equipment company with a man who has been described by law enforcement as a member of the mob.

More at source: Chicago Sun Times

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A severe respiratory illness, the flu can be easily spread -- usually from coughing or sneezing -- and can lead to severe complications and even death.

On average each year, about 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications.

So how can we change these statistics?

"The best way to avoid getting the flu is to give your body a better chance to fight infection, and that starts with a flu shot," said Dr. Lubna Madani, north region medical director, Northwestern Medicine. "Flu vaccines may vary in effectiveness from year to year, but getting the shot increases your chances of being protected and lessens your symptoms if you do get ill."

Flu myths

Each year as the flu season approaches, doctors hear the same myths from patients. These include:

"The flu shot can make me sick."

The flu vaccine is made from an inactivated virus that can't cause infection. So, if you get sick after getting a flu vaccination, you were likely going to get sick anyway.

More at source: Daily Herald

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