Biggest flu outbreak in years predicted!

As reported in the Manchester Evening News this week the UK could be about to face its worst flu season in years.

Epidemics and outbreaks have already been seen in Australia and parts of Asia, leading scientists to believe we could be next.

Believe it or not 7.6 million working days are lost due to flu in the UK each year causing major headaches (no pun intended!) for employers, staff and customers alike.

There are three main way of preventing the flu as outlined by the NHS (click here)

1. The flu vaccine

2. Antiviral medication

3. Good Hygiene

Unfortunately we can't help with the first two but we do know a bit about the third.

Our top 10 tips for good hygiene:

Make sure you wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water.
Clean surfaces such as your keyboard, telephone and door handles regularly to get rid of germs.
Use tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
Put used tissues in a bin as soon as possible.
Use disposable cloths or paper towels when possible.
If using reusable cloths they should be disinfected or washed at 60C (140F) after each use.
Foot-operated bins are more hygienic because they reduce the risk of getting germs onto your hands from touching the bin.
If a shower hasn't been used for a while, let it run with hot water before using it
Clean hard or plastic toys by washing them and putting them away once they're clean and dry
Use two buckets for mopping – one for detergent and the other for rinsing.