According to the New York Times today, Britain has started a new ad campaign to slow the spread of Swine Flu:
In Britain on Thursday, authorities launched an advertising campaign urging people to sneeze into tissues and to wash their hands after doing so. The campaign was called “Catch it, bin it, kill it.”
This raises the issue of what you should buy and carry with you throughout the Swine Flu pandemic. It seems obvious that, at minimum, you should have with you in your purse or pocket:
- tissues; and
- sanitizing hand wipes (as produced, for example, in individually wrapped packets by Purell)
The sanitizing hand wipes are for those times when you do not have ready access, after sneezing or coughing, to soap and water. They can also be used to wipe down surfaces before using them (such as doorknobs or school desktops). I found Purell sanitizing wipes being sold, by the box, at Walmart.
I also notice that Purell sanitizing products are being sold at Amazon.com here and here.
With regard to the low “star” ratings of the individually wrapped Purell sanitizing tissues, I would advise ignoring the people giving them a low rating. They are focusing on wetness for doing multiple tasks with the same tissue, and the size of the tissues. In a pandemic the important thing is utility and the ability to carry them on your person. I’ve been using them for several days, and for the purposes of keeping your hands clean when out in public, and wiping down a single doorknob or surface, they work perfectly fine.
Prometheus Unbound 