COLUMBUS, Ohio – Starting today, many local health departments will start offering the H1N1 vaccine to everyone. While reports of the virus have slowed, there is still a lot of concern.
How do you dodge these little germs before they infect you?
Experts say the worst germ hiding places are any common surface with large human traffic, such as door knobs, handles, elevator buttons, buses, the gym and things like phones and computer keyboards in the workplace.
One study found that bacteria and viruses live on most surfaces for only a few hours, but flu viruses can live in some environments for up to two days.
Scientists have also found that flu viruses like to linger on non-porous surfaces, such as plastic, metal and wood. These viruses will die out quicker on porous materials like skin, paper and fabrics. This is why doctors emphasize washing hands often and sneezing or coughing into your shoulder or arm, rather than into your hands.
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