Yellow Pages
Put a spoon in the candy dishes, don’t share utensils and for Pete’s sake, don’t do that thing where you sip the stirring spoon and say, “Needs more oregano.”
Thanksgiving is a great American tradition, but it’s also a great time to catch the flu. As people congregate on planes, meet in homes and share a dozen different communal dishes, the risk for infection is high.
“It’s times like these that you have to be extra careful,” said Skagit County Health Director Peter Browning. “Hand-to-food contact is just really a problem in the holidays.”
Browning urged families more than ever to take very basic precautions to stave off disease.
He said communal dishes, even something as simple as a bowl of nuts or candy, are the transfer spot for viruses like H1N1. So if Aunt Judy coughs into her hand and grabs a handful of hazelnuts, Cousin Suzie could be in for a week of the sniffles.
“When they cough as they reach for a pile of rolls, that’s going to be a problem,” Browning said.
On top of covering your cough and simply staying home if you’re sick, Browning said families take a few extra precautions in handling and preparing food.
That bowl of dried snacks before dinner? Use a spoon. Everyone can scoop out some nuts or candy on to their own plates without touching the food.
If the cook just has to taste the gravy before calling it good, get a clean spoon to get a sample and don’t use it again.
Above all, don’t share utensils. Any silverware one person uses shouldn’t be used by another.
And he said people should not be afraid to ask relatives to cough into their elbow.
The state department of health is not making any predictions about what Thanksgiving will do to the spread of H1N1, but officials are asking people to be very cautious about traveling.
Spokesman Tim Church reminded people that being sick means staying home, not just from work.
“That means stay home from getting on the bus, stay home from getting on a plane,” Church said. “I would hope people think of their friends and family first and don’t bring an illness into a group setting.”
