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...good has come of the global H1N1 flu pandemic, it may have started with a child like Nayeli Quispe, 7, a second-grader from the impoverished hillsides of La Paz, Bolivia. Prompted by a massive campaign by the country's public-health officials to contain the spread of the new flu virus, Nayeli and millions of other Bolivian schoolchildren have been washing their hands a lot more than usual - after recess, before meals and every time the animated dancing hands pop up in public-service announcements on TV. "First you wet them really well, then you rub the soap...
Public-health experts now say the increase in hand-washing across the country may have had some collateral benefits, not only in helping to reduce H1N1 infections, but also the spread of other common diseases in Bolivia. "We see a steady 10% to 15% drop in the rate of incidence of acute diarrheal diseases in all age groups, compared with last year's numbers at this time," says Dr. René Lenis, Bolivia's director of epidemiology, referring to data collected on the number of weekly cases of diarrheal disease reported in medical centers nationwide...
Bolivia's challenge now is to maintain the good numbers. The last time Bolivia witnessed a plummet in diarrheal-disease rates was during the cholera outbreak of 1992 and 1993, when better personal-hygiene habits led to a reduction in the spread of infection. But as the threat of the disease died down, so too did people's standards of cleanliness. Lenis says that the Bolivian government is committed to continuing its media campaigns and that ongoing potable-water and sewage-system expansion projects will help make Bolivians healthier. Most important, however, is keeping up the education, says Lenis. "Adults...
Nevertheless, people will still refuse to get vaccinated, which will greatly increase their chances of contracting the virus. They can then become carriers who can contribute to the further spread of the disease. The resolve to avoid vaccination is bolstered by popular personalities like Glenn Beck, who said on his radio show that the vaccine could be “deadly,” and comedian Bill Maher, who on his Twitter feed called anyone who received the H1N1 vaccine an “idiot.” Regardless of the validity of these claims and the science that strongly...
...into account. If some workers are not going to get vaccinated, patients should be informed about this and be given the choice to be treated by a vaccinated caregiver. Or maybe there are less invasive options for non-vaccinated caregivers, such as facemasks and gowns, which may prevent the spread of viruses. In a health-care facility, the care of patients is tantamount and must be the primary focus of the workers...