With today being the big day for our little trick or treaters, as parents we have some scarier issues on our mind than our kids stuffing themselves with too much candy.

As a parent I am in the same boat you are.  I am still debating whether to get our daughter vaccinated for the H1N1 Swine Flu virus.

We are leaning towards getting the vaccine as this is what is concerning about this new swine flu virus, it is killing young healthy children.  Even though most deaths are attributed to previous underlying conditions, some are not, which is just plain scary if you are a parent.

So doing our best like many of you trying to avoid the H1N1 virus we placed one of those family size bottles of hand sanitizer on our kitchen TV stand so as soon as we walk in the door we can sterilize our hands quickly and easy. 

Well, we got quite the surprise when my wife went to press down on the hand gel dispenser and because it was temporarily plugged it squirted hand sanitizer gel back on the wall behind it causing an INSTANT and PERMANENT mark on the wall by burning through the paint!

I couldn’t believe it made a mark on the wall so fast, and I am assuming it is the high alcohol content that is the cause which is listed at 62%. I can only imagine the pain if it got in your eyes!

Remember that this is a form of alcohol (ethyl alchol) that causes intoxication, not isopropyl alcohol commonly used for sanitizing injection areas.

Reports show that ingesting as little as an ounce or two could be fatal to a toddler. So please remember to keep these products out of the reach of your young kids, and if you allow them to use it, do not let them ingest any and keep an eye on them until they have rubbed it in and the alcohol has evaporated.

I got some great flu prevention tips from one of my wife’s colleagues, Dr. Vinay Goyal . He is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist), having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memorial, etc. Presently, he is heading their Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W).

“The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu)

The best ways to prevent Swine Flu are:

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe ).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.”

Are you or your kids getting vaccinated? Let me know YOUR thoughts on the swine flu outbreak by posting a comment below. I really want to know what other parents are thinking!