It's reported you’re 200 percent more likely to get the flu this year than last, and 400 percent more likely to get it than you were two years ago. With this season's flu being deadly most deadly in Texas and Arkansas, are germaphobes onto something?
“Being a germaphobe won’t help much unless you happen to have a scuba mask on,” said U.S. HealthWorks Dr. Donald Bucklin.
He said you can brush your hand along a desk, elevator button, grocery cart and then touch your face and now you've exposed yourself to the flu.
“Using Purell after you touch the grocery cart, wipe it off with good with a hand sanitizer or something before you grab it,” said Bucklin. “If you go to any public computer, like a debit card machine, gas pumps-again, no one ever cleans them, they get picked up every minute or two, day and night, 24/7.”
He said cell phones and tablets can be surprisingly dirty.
Disinfx Mike Kosak goes to military bases and school districts to do wide spread disinfecting.
“Make sure they’re asking their schools, what are their protocols, what are they doing to be proactive against the flu virus this year,” said Kosak.
And, not all disinfectants are the same.
“Depending on the disinfectant that you’re using, it has a dwell time, meaning it takes up to 10 minutes before it will kill viruses and bacteria on the surface,” said Kosak.
He said you have to spray, wait and then wipe.