By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The fears may be ramping up about coronavirus, but the bottom line remains that the strategy for keeping communicable diseases at bay hasn't really changed.
"Prevention is always what you want to do with any kind of medicine," said Karen Hammersmith with the Reno County Health Department. "It really starts with handwashing. That is the number one preventive thing on anything. You start with your simple cold, which is a virus, to the flu and now, you're talking about coronavirus as well. The flu is something that really hits us hard here in the wintertime. It's something that we can prevent."
Prevention goes back to what our moms and doctors have told us for decades.
"Wash your hands," Hammersmith said. "Make sure that you wash them for 20-30 seconds. Use soap. If that's not available, you can use the antibacterial. Also, try not to touch things, if you're thinking about it."
Keep it simple, if you touch a common surface, wash your hands.
"If there's railings, the grocery cart, your doorknobs, wash your hands again. That's why, before you prepare food, you always wash your hands. Once you come inside, wash your hands."
It's also important for kids who have been at school or at an activity like a sports event with others who may have been sick to wash their hands, as well.