Download available Skin Care Marketing Materials by clicking on the links below:

Elementary Poster - "Wash Your Hands"

Elementary Poster - "STOP"

Middle School Poster - "Share the Cake"

"Please Wash Hands" Sign

"Please Sanitize Hands" Sign

CDC Summary of Facts & Figures

Skin Care Education Sell Sheet

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other government agencies have researched…

I  Scientists estimate that people are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80% of all infections by their hands.

Harmful germs can live on almost everything!

I  Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to 2 hours or more on some surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks.

I  The US has 119,000 schools and approximately 1/5 of the US population attends or works in those schools.

The Common Cold….

I  There are more than 52 million cases of the common cold each year among Americans under the age of 17.

I  Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone.

I  Children have about 6-10 colds a year.  In families with children in school, the number of colds per child can be as high as 12 a year.

I  Adults average 2-4 colds a year.

I  Colds are common in children because they are often in close contact with each other in daycare centers and schools.

I  In the US, most colds occur during the fall and winter.

I  Beginning in late August or early September, the rate of colds increases slowly and then remains high until March or April when it declines – this is prompted by the opening of schools, cold weather and spending more time indoors.

I  Common cold-causing viruses survive better when humidity is low-the colder months of the year.

I  Cold weather also may make the inside lining of your nose drier and more vulnerable to viral infection.

The Flu (Influenza)…..

I  10-20% of Americans come down with the flu during each flu season.

I  Flu season  typically lasts from November to March.

I  Children are 2-3 times more likely than adults to get the flu and frequently spread the virus to others.

I  In the US more than 100,000 people are hospitalized and about 36,000 people die from the flu and its complications each year.

Addressing the spread of germs in schools is essential to the health of our youth, our schools, and our nation!

 Additional Skin Care Links:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - www.cdc.gov

It's a SNAP Toolkit - www.itsasnap.org

NSF Scrub Club™ - www.scrubclub.org

Healthy Schools Campaign - www.healthyschoolscampaign.org

References:

CDC. Put Your Hands Together. http://www.cdc.gov/CDCTV/HandsTogether. 2008.

CDC. Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School. http://www.cdc.gov/germstopper/home_work_school.htm. 2004.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Common Cold. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/commoncold/. 2007.

CDC. Seasonal Flu. http://www.cdc.gov/flu. 2008.

CDC. Clean Hands Saves Lives! http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands. 2006.