How to Stay Healthy During the Flu Season

Ever wondered why influenza-like illnesses happen more often during the rainy season? 

These seasonal sicknesses are more common than you think, owing to a drop in temperature. As it turns out, the change in weather can confuse our immune system, which makes us more susceptible to viruses and bacteria.

While health authorities encourage vital preventive measures like wearing masks, getting adequate sleep, and eating healthy to prevent infection from spreading, the most direct defense against these disease-causing microbes is something we do every day: wash our hands.¹ 

Key takeaways

• Seasonal illnesses proliferate when microbes spread via unwashed hands.

• Plain soap and hand sanitizers may not eliminate all types of germs and viruses.

• POVIDONE-IODINE (BETADINE®) Skin Cleanser is an antiseptic hand cleanser clinically proven to kill bacteria (E. coli) and viruses (influenza, MERS-CoV, MNV).

How Do Influenza-like Illnesses Spread?

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people usually get sick from touching microbes that come from human or animal feces. These people in turn transfer them to common surfaces, with the germs picked up by the next person who touches them.² Gross, right?

While hand sanitizers can disinfect hands without visible dirt, there are some bacteria and viruses they can’t destroy. So if you want to make sure you don’t get sick, proper hand hygiene helps keep them at bay, especially during the seasons when our immune systems are more stressed.

The Need for Antiseptic Cleansers

While regular soaps and cleansers may reduce the amount of bacteria on your hands, not all of them offer the same efficacy against germs. 

A study by Eggers et. al., for instance, showed in a hygienic hand wash test that when it comes to bacteria like E. coli and viruses like the murine norovirus (MNV), plain soap tends to be the weakest when it comes to eliminating them, with povidone-iodine outperforming both plain soap and chlorhexidine cleanser.³

That said, using an antiseptic skin cleanser with antimicrobial properties can give you greater peace of mind during times of outbreak or general disease.

POVIDONE-IODINE as a Tried and Tested Antiseptic^4-5

But not all antiseptics are created equal. Some of them, like chlorhexidine gluconate, are actually less efficient when it comes to stopping viruses. Others need a higher concentration in order to kill off those dangerous germs.

The same study by Eggers et. al.showed that while both povidone-iodine and chlorhexidine were superior to soft soap against E. coli, the povidone-iodine 7.5% cleanser showed superior efficacy against MNV compared to both regular soap and chlorhexidine.³

What does this mean, then? If you use a povidone iodine skin cleanser or other effective antiseptic cleansers to wash your hands, the less vulnerable you are to harmful microbes.

POVIDONE-IODINE (BETADINE®) Skin Cleanser is one convenient option if you’re looking for a clinically proven skin disinfectant. Simply lather the cleanser on wet skin and allow it to stay on your hands and fingers for up to one minute before rinsing it off to make time for the povidone iodine to kill bacteria, viruses and even fungi that could wreak havoc on your immune system.

Help Protect Yourself from the Flu Season

Life goes on regardless of the weather. And in between the crowded commutes or heading into the office while influenza and other illnesses are at an all-time high, you want to keep yourself safe at all times.

Proper handwashing with this povidone-iodine antiseptic cleanser then becomes your front-line defense amid these seasonal illnesses.  When you level up your hand hygiene with the right products (and not just washing with regular soap), you don’t just protect yourself — you take care of the people around you, too.

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