Preventing Seasonal Influenza: The Critical Role of Environmental Hygiene and Disinfection 防止季節性流感：環境衛生與消毒的關鍵作用
As the seasons change, the risk of influenza rises significantly. In Hong Kong, flu season typically peaks twice a year—between January and March, and again between July and August. While many may confuse the flu with the common cold, influenza is a much more serious illness that can lead to life-threatening complications, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic conditions.
This year, data from the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection is particularly concerning. Severe flu cases during the 2024 winter flu season increased fourfold, and child deaths surged sixfold compared to previous seasons. The fatality rate for severe cases reached 66%, highlighting the critical need for preventive measures.
To help protect yourself and your community, it’s essential to focus on environmental hygiene and disinfection as key strategies to reduce the spread of influenza. In addition to personal hygiene, conducting a comprehensive Environmental Hygiene (IEH) Assessment is an effective way to ensure that your surroundings are safe and virus-free.
What’s the Difference Between the Flu and the Common Cold?
Many people mistake the flu for a cold, but this is a completely incorrect perception.
There are over 200 viruses that can cause the common cold. These viral upper respiratory infections often lead to symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, cough, sore throat, and sneezing. Adults rarely experience fever, and most people recover within one to two weeks.
However, influenza is much more aggressive. there are only three types of seasonal flu viruses known to infect humans: Influenza A, B, and C. These flu viruses are more invasive and cause more severe symptoms than cold viruses. In addition to common cold-like symptoms such as cough and nasal congestion, flu symptoms include high fever, muscle aches, and the risk of serious complications.
Environmental Hygiene: A Key Preventive Measure
While personal hygiene—such as frequent handwashing and wearing masks—is crucial in preventing the spread of influenza, environmental hygiene is equally important. Influenza viruses can survive on surfaces for several hours, making shared environments like offices, schools, and public places breeding grounds for infection.
This is where conducting an Environmental Hygiene (IEH) Assessment plays a vital role. At Avalon Steritech, we offer professional IEH assessments that help identify weaknesses in your environmental hygiene protocols, ensuring that your surroundings are properly sanitized and unlikely to contribute to the spread of influenza.
An IEH Assessment involves:
Evaluating air quality and ventilation systems: Ensuring adequate ventilation can significantly reduce the concentration of airborne viruses, minimizing the risk of transmission.
Identifying high-touch surfaces: Surfaces like door handles, desks, and shared equipment are often overlooked but need regular cleaning to prevent virus spread.
Recommending effective disinfection practices: We provide guidance on the use of safe and reliable disinfectants, tailored to your specific environment, to help maintain a virus-free space.
An IEH Assessment is particularly crucial in high-traffic areas such as hospitals, schools, offices, and public transport hubs. By identifying potential risks and implementing targeted hygiene solutions, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of flu transmission.
Why Environmental Hygiene Is Especially Important for High-Risk Groups
While most healthy individuals can recover from the flu, those with weakened immune systems—such as the elderly—are at much higher risk of developing severe complications. Dr. Chiu emphasizes that individuals over 50 years of age are particularly vulnerable. According to data from the 2024 winter flu season, 89% of severe cases and 97% of deaths involved patients aged 50 or above.
Additionally, patients with chronic conditions are at an even higher risk. For example, individuals with diabetes face a 5.8-fold increased risk of death, while those with cardiovascular conditions or heart disease have a tenfold higher risk of dying from flu-related complications.
In such high-risk environments, particularly in care homes, hospitals, and public facilities, environmental hygiene becomes even more critical. Conducting an IEH Assessment helps ensure that these spaces remain clean, well-ventilated, and free from viral pathogens, thereby reducing the risk of severe flu outbreaks.
Simple Hygiene and Disinfection Practices to Follow
In addition to conducting an IEH Assessment, maintaining proper hygiene and disinfection practices in your daily life can greatly reduce the spread of the flu virus. Here are some key steps to follow:
Wash Your Hands Frequently: Influenza can spread through contact with infected droplets, so it’s important to wash your hands thoroughly, especially after touching public surfaces or coughing and sneezing. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap isn’t available.
Wear Masks Properly: If you experience symptoms like a fever or cough, wearing a mask prevents the spread of the virus to others. In high-risk areas like hospitals or care homes, masks are essential during flu season.
Disinfect Commonly Touched Surfaces: Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, tables, and shared items. Use reliable disinfectants to ensure these surfaces are safe.
Ensure Proper Ventilation: Good indoor ventilation can reduce airborne virus concentrations. Keep windows open to promote airflow, and avoid crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.
How an Environmental Hygiene Assessment Can Protect Your Community
Influenza is highly contagious, and shared spaces can quickly become hotspots for viral transmission. By conducting an Environmental Hygiene Assessment, you can:
Identify areas of risk in your environment that may contribute to the spread of the flu virus.
Ensure proper ventilation to reduce airborne viruses.
Implement effective disinfection protocols to keep your surroundings virus-free.
This proactive approach can help prevent flu outbreaks in high-risk environments and ensure the safety of your family, employees, and the community at large.
Conclusion: Prioritize Environmental Hygiene for Flu Prevention
Influenza is not just an individual health issue—it’s a public health concern, and we all have a role to play in preventing its spread. While personal hygiene is essential, environmental hygiene plays an equally important role in protecting against flu transmission.
By conducting a thorough Environmental Hygiene (IEH) Assessment, you can ensure that your environment is safe, clean, and well-ventilated, reducing the risk of flu outbreaks. This assessment is particularly important in public spaces, workplaces, and high-risk areas like hospitals and care homes.
For more information about how to conduct an IEH Assessment and improve the hygiene of your environment, visit avalonsteritech.com/ieh.
Together, we can create safer spaces and reduce the spread of influenza, protecting ourselves and those most vulnerable in our community.
隨著季節的變換，流感的風險顯著上升。在香港，流感季節通常每年兩次達到高峰－一次在1月到3月之間，另一次在7月到8月之間。儘管許多人可能會將流感與普通感冒混淆，但流感是一種更為嚴重的疾病，可能導致危及生命的併發症，特別是對於老年人、幼兒、孕婦和慢性病患者等脆弱群體。
今年，香港衛生防護中心的數據尤其令人擔憂。 2024年冬季流感季節的嚴重流感病例增加了四倍，兒童死亡人數比以往季節增加了六倍。嚴重病例的死亡率達到了66%，突顯了預防措施的關鍵需求。
為了幫助保護自己和社區，必須將環境衛生和消毒作為減少流感傳播的關鍵策略。除了個人衛生外，進行全面的環境衛生（IEH）評估是確保周圍環境安全、無病毒的有效方法。
流感與普通感冒有什麼差別？
許多人將流感誤認為感冒，但這是一種完全錯誤的認知。
有200多種病毒可以引起普通感冒。這些病毒性上呼吸道感染通常會導致鼻塞或流鼻水、咳嗽、喉嚨痛和打噴嚏等症狀。成人很少出現發燒，大多數人在一到兩週內康復。
然而，流感要激進得多。目前已知只有三種季節性流感病毒會感染人類：甲型、乙型和丙型流感病毒。這些流感病毒更具侵入性，引起的症狀比一般感冒病毒更為嚴重。除了類似感冒的症狀，如咳嗽和鼻塞外，流感症狀還包括高熱、肌肉疼痛以及嚴重併發症的風險。
環境衛生：關鍵的預防措施
雖然個人衛生——如勤洗手和戴口罩——在預防流感傳播中至關重要，但環境衛生同樣重要。流感病毒可以在表面上存活數小時，使得辦公室、學校和公共場所等共享環境成為感染的溫床。
這就是進行環境衛生（IEH）評估發揮重要作用的地方。在Avalon Steritech，我們提供專業的IEH評估，幫助識別環境衛生協議中的薄弱環節，確保您的周圍環境得到適當消毒，不太可能促成流感的傳播。
IEH評估包括：
評估空氣品質和通風系統：確保足夠的通風可以顯著降低空氣中病毒的濃度，並最小化傳播風險。
識別高頻接觸表面：門把手、桌子和共享設備等表面經常被忽視，但需要定期清潔以防止病毒傳播。
建議有效的消毒實踐：我們提供使用安全、可靠的消毒劑的指導，根據您的特定環境量身定制，幫助保持無病毒空間。
IEH評估在醫院、學校、辦公室和公共交通樞紐等人流量大的區域尤其重要。透過識別潛在風險並實施針對性的衛生解決方案，可以顯著降低流感傳播的可能性。
為什麼環境衛生對高風險族群特別重要
雖然大多數健康人可以從流感中康復，但免疫系統較弱的人——如老年人——發展嚴重併發症的風險要高得多。 Chiu博士強調，50歲以上的個體尤其脆弱。根據2024年冬季流感季節的數據，89%的嚴重病例和97%的死亡涉及50歲及以上的患者。
此外，慢性病患者的風險更高。例如，糖尿病患者死亡風險增加5.8倍，而心血管疾病或心臟病患者死於流感相關併發症的風險增加十倍。
在如此高風險的環境中，特別是在護理之家、醫院和公共設施中，環境衛生變得更加關鍵。進行IEH評估有助於確保這些空間保持清潔、通風良好且無病毒病原體，從而降低嚴重流感爆發的風險。
遵循的簡單衛生和消毒實踐
除了進行室內環境衛生（IEH）評估外，在日常生中保持良好的衛生和消毒習慣也能大大減少流感病毒的傳播。以下是一些關鍵步驟：
勤洗手：流感可以透過接觸感染飛沫傳播，因此徹底洗手非常重要，尤其是在觸摸公共物品或咳嗽、打噴嚏後。使用肥皂和水洗手至少20秒，或如果沒有肥皂，可以使用含酒精的洗手液。
正確配戴口罩：如果您出現發燒或咳嗽等症狀，請戴上口罩以防止病毒傳播給他人。在醫院或護理之家等人高風險區域，流感季節佩戴口罩至關重要。
消毒高頻接觸表面：定期清潔和消毒門把手、桌子和共享物品等高頻接觸表面。使用可靠的消毒劑確保這些表面安全。
確保適當通風：良好的室內通風可以減少空氣中病毒的濃度。保持窗戶開啟以促進空氣流通，避免擁擠、通風不良的空間。
室內環境衛生評估如何保護您的社區
流感具有高度傳染性，共享空間可能迅速成為病毒傳播的熱點。透過進行室內環境衛生評估，您可以：
識別環境中可能助長流感病毒傳播的風險區域。
確保適當的通風以減少空氣中的病毒。
實施有效的消毒協議，保持您周圍環境無病毒。
這種主動的方法可以幫助預防高風險環境中的流感爆發，並確保您的家人、員工和社區的安全。
結論：優先考慮環境衛生以預防流感
流感不僅是個人健康問題——它是一個公共衛生問題，我們每個人都有責任在預防其傳播方面發揮作用。雖然個人衛生至關重要，但環境衛生在保護免受流感傳播方面同樣重要。
透過進行全面的室內環境衛生（IEH）評估，您可以確保您的環境安全、清潔且通風良好，並降低流感爆發的風險。這種評估在公共場所、工作場所以及醫院和護理之家等高風險區域尤其重要。
有關如何進行IEH評估及改善環境衛生的更多信息，請訪問avalonsteritech.com/ieh。
我們可以共同努力，創造更安全的空間，減少流感的傳播，保護我們自己和社區中最脆弱的成員。
