BURRILLVILLE – It’s mid-winter season and there are a lot of respiratory concerns affecting kids, teens and adults during this time of year. The best way to help prevent colds and flu viruses this winter is with some simple but effective measures children can take to reduce the spread of germs in and out of the home.
The popular Itty Bitty SUPER DUPERS cartoon characters help remind kids and their families some of these preventive practices anyone can remember with this week’s Sunday feature coloring cartoon featuring our hero Victor Virus and the IBSD villains; Germies. Washing hands frequently helps prevent the spread of germs during the course of the day. If you come in contact with surface areas that might be used by others regularly, it’s a good idea to wash your hands immediately. Make sure not to use hot water that is too hot to the touch. Warm water and a lot of soap does the trick, and prevents skin burns or irritation. Disinfectant soap works best for preventing germs.
When coughing, or sneezing, make sure that you do so into your sleeve and not your hands. Never cough or sneeze into open air. Germ particles can travel through the air and infect others near you. Help keep them healthy and reduce the spread of germs.
Another important way to help prevent the spread of germs is by not sharing any foods or drinks with others. Sharing foods and drinks can quickly spread germs, so avoid this altogether, and throw any food and drink containers directly into a trash or recycling bin if you are in school, daycare, community center or library in your city or town during the rest of the upcoming winter season.
Stay germ free and help prevent colds and flu by making sure those around are germ free as well. Stay healthy everyone!
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades.
