How to keep the flu from haunting your Halloween

GLENDALE, Ariz. (Oct. 21, 2009) –  Banner Thunderbird Medical Center experts say one Halloween safety tip rises to the top this year with the onset of flu season: Wash those little hands before digging into candy!

Certified Child Life Specialist Anne Bordal said parents and adults need to set a good example all year long by practicing proper hand hygiene and washing hands before eating but she offers tips to help make hand washing more fun for children.

“On Halloween you can make hand washing a contest between children, cleanest hands gets first choice in the candy bowl,” Bordal said.

Before heading out to Trick-or-Treat give children their own mini bottle of hand sanitizer encouraging them to use it throughout the evening.  Let children decorate the sanitizer bottle with spooky stickers and allow them to write their name on it, Bordal said.

“While it’s always important to wash hands before eating, the severity of this flu season makes it doubly important not only to wash hands, but also to observe some other common precautions,” said Mandeep Rai, MD, medical director for Infection Prevention at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center.

Dr. Rai said children should not go trick-or-treating if they are sick and if parents are concerned that candy has been handled by people who have the flu avoid eating it that day.

“Save it until the day after because most viruses do not survive on surfaces for more than half a day,” Dr. Rai said. “Though it’s good to be safe, there is no need to be paranoid.”

About Banner Thunderbird Medical Center
Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, part of Banner Health—a nonprofit health system with 22 hospitals throughout the West—is a 513-bed acute-care hospital featuring a behavioral health center, children’s center and dedicated outpatient center.