Everyone's reeling about this Swine Flu thing. It's scary and no one seems to know how worried to be. Are we getting all the information we need? Is the US version of the flu as mild as they say? Are we getting the real story. Last night President Obama was pretty straight forward about precautions. Hand washing seems to be the panacea that everyone's talking about. Even Boro Prez Marty and City Council Member deBlasio are calling for hand sanitizers in all NYC classrooms and the're urging speedy passage of legislation requiring this in schools and child care centers. Here's the press release from Tom Gray at deBlasio's office…
NEW YORK – In the wake of the swine flu outbreak, Councilmember Bill
de Blasio is calling for New York City to install hand sanitizers in
all school classrooms. De Blasio’s office describes the equipment as
a very low-cost yet effective way to help prevent further spread of
the illness, which has already infected at least 49 people in New York
City and led to the closure of five City schools.
“Swine flu in New York City started in classrooms and consequently our
children have faced the greatest danger. As a parent and a New York
City Councilmember, I think it is crucial that we act now to protect
against this threat by installing hand sanitizers in all classrooms.
I applaud the Mayor and all of City Government for the speedy action
they have taken in the face of this crisis. However, now it is time
for us put the right tools in place to prevent the further spread of
swine flu,” said Councilmember Bill de Blasio
ALEX ZABLOCKI, CANDIDATE FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE SAYS “NOT SO FAST” WHEN PUTTING
ALCOHOL-BASED HAND SANITIZERS IN ALL NYC CLASSROOMS
*Council Bill de Blasio, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Borough President Marty
Markowitz call on the Department of Education to install **hand sanitizers
in all school classrooms to help protect students against Swine Flu;
Zablocki says this knee-jerk reaction to the Swine Influenza outbreak is not
the right approach and could lead to other problems*
*New York* – Though a good idea in theory, Alex Zablocki, republican
candidate for Public Advocate, called on Councilman Bill de Blasio,
Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Borough President Marty Markowitz to rethink
their plan to install hand sanitizers in all New York City classrooms.
According to a memo by the “Capital Region BOCES Health/Safety/Risk
Management Service” (http://risk.capregboces.org/), created by Cynthia
Holmes, March 2009, which offers a program to facilitate the school
community to minimize hazards and unsafe practices and to support a safe and
effective learning environment, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are:
– Not effective when hands are visibly soiled.
– Not antiviral.
– Not a substitute for hand washing.
– Flammable; a gob of it thrown on a bathroom wall can be ignited and will
burn.
– Potential alcohol poisoning if ingested, especially for toddlers.
– Need to keep out of reach of children or to provide adult supervision.
– May contain triclosan, a chemical that kills both bad and good bacteria
– If always used, students and adults never learn to wash their hands.
– Added budget expense; schools still have to purchase soap.
– These are not hand cleaners per se and are not covered under the OGS Green
Certified Guidelines.
– There are no populations outside of a healthcare setting in which consumer
antiseptic use has been demonstrated to be more effective than plain soap in
reducing infection rates (US FDA).
While the same memo does state that sanitizers are a good
alternative when soap and water are unavailable, for example, on sports
fields, field trips, etc. and alcohol-based hand sanitizers can help prevent
the spread of MRSA, they also note that consultation with the school
district medical director and proper supervision are needed when using
alcohol-based hand sanitizers with children, according to a directive by the
NYSED. Alex Zablocki thinks a knee-jerk reaction to require hand sanitizers
in all classrooms could have other negative repercussions and could open the
city up to possible lawsuits and endanger very young children.
According to the memo by the Capital Region BOCES, it states
that hand washing is the best approach for personal hygiene and decreasing
the spread of bacteria and viruses, according to the NYSED and that good
hand hygiene includes frequent hand washing according to the NYSDOH &
NYSED. This memo states that schools are currently required to provide ready
access to sinks and soaps and that they are already available in schools.
Alex Zablocki said: “The best way to prevent the spread of any
virus is by washing your hands. When I attended Public School 23 on Staten
Island, I remember having a sink in the classroom and we all learned the
importance of washing our hands. The report by the Capital Region BOCES
shows that installing hand sanitizers, especially alcohol based sanitizers
in classrooms may not be the best approach. These sanitizers are flammable,
harmful to children if not used properly and could open the city up to
litigation.”
Alex Zablocki said: “Hand washing is an easy way to prevent the
spread of disease. If parents choose to send their child to school with a
bottle of hand sanitizer, like Purell, then so be it, but I do not think
that government should be reacting to this recent flu outbreak in a way that
could possibly harm children.”
For general information about the swine flu, residents can call
New York State’s toll free hotline at 1-800-808-1987.
Alex Zablocki will be the youngest candidate in New York City’s
history to run for Public Advocate and only the second Staten Island
resident to run for citywide office on a major party line. More information
about him and his campaign can be found at http://www.alex2009.com or by calling
718-734-1093.
# # #
maybe i’m old school, but how about if the kids just wash their hands? all these hand sanitizers create super germs, like in hospitals.
As a former PTA activist, I know that schools are very bad at providing soap, paper towels, toilet paper(even stall doors!) in bathrooms. Some kids refuse to use the bathrooms because they are so dirty and unprivate. One teacher kept toilet paper in her desk and kids had to ask for it when they went to the lavatory..how mebarassing is that? Parents: check out the bathroom at your kid’s school and insist on the proper amenities.
I always checked the bathrooms before the first PTA meeting of the year, knowing parents would bring up the issue. To be fair to the school custodial staff, kids are the ones who use these bathrooms and they seem to love throwing wet toilet paper up to the ceiling (it’s cool! it sticks!),some kids don’t remember to flush, and some kids don’t believe in throwing paper towels in the receptacle. Parents need to remind their kids to was their hands when they use the bathroom and achools need to provide soap and paper towels, which are cheaper than hand sanitizers.
Thought: schools might have class handwashing visits after lunch and recess to help prevent the flu from spreading.