Looking for Henry’s Health Shields?

Henry the Hand Health Shields can be found  here at the website for the Henry the Hand Foundation.

Health Shield Fact Sheet

  • A study in 2015 found that 97% of particles penetrated cloth face masks, and 44% of particles penetrated traditional medical-grade face masks1.
  • A study found that health shields blocked 96% of respiratory droplets at a distance of 18”2.
  • Many experts are promoting the use of face shields over masks to help curb the spread of COVID-193.
  • A systematic review shows that cloth and paper face masks do not decrease transmission of influenza4. This may me be due to cross-contamination of wearers touching their faces.
  • There is concern that masks and gloves may provide a false sense of security and actually promote self-inoculation via cross-contamination by touching the face5,6.
  • People touch their faces, on average, 15-23 times per hour7,8.
  • Physicians and healthcare staff well-versed in the importance of not touching their faces do so with similar frequency9.
  • Masks also collect moisture with prolonged wearing and may even promote transmission of the novel coronavirus10.
  • A study testing adherence in schools to face mask use during a possible pandemic found 15% of students wore masks after 2 weeks11.
  • “Teachers reported that facemask use produced distraction and physical discomfort and made it difficult for students and teachers to read each other’s facial expressions.’’

1MacIntyre, C. R., Seale, H., Dung, T. C., Hien, N. T., Nga, P. T., Chughtai, A. A., … & Wang, Q. (2015). A cluster randomised trial of cloth masks compared with medical masks in healthcare workers. BMJ open, 5(4), e006577.

2Lindsley, W. G., Noti, J. D., Blachere, F. M., Szalajda, J. V., & Beezhold, D. H. (2014). Efficacy of face shields against cough aerosol droplets from a cough simulator. Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene11(8), 509-518.

 3Perencevich, E. N., Diekema, D. J., & Edmond, M. B. (2020). Moving personal protective equipment into the community: face shields and containment of COVID-19. JAMA.

4Xiao, J., Shiu, E. Y., Gao, H., Wong, J. Y., Fong, M. W., Ryu, S., & Cowling, B. J. (2020). Nonpharmaceutical measures for pandemic influenza in nonhealthcare settings—personal protective and environmental measures. Emerging infectious diseases, 26(5), 967.

5Yadav, D. K., Shah, P. K., Shah, S. P., & Yadav, A. K. (2020). The Use of Disposable Gloves by General Public During COVID-19 Increases the Risk of Cross-Contamination. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 1010539520932704.

6Lazzarino, A. I., Steptoe, A., Hamer, M., & Michie, S. (2020). Covid-19: Important potential side effects of wearing face masks that we should bear in mind. The BMJ369.

7Nicas M, Bestadh D. A study quantifying the hand-to-face contact rate and its potential application to predicting respiratory tract infection. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2008;5(6):347–52.

8Kwok YLA, Gralton J, McLaws ML. Face touching: A frequent habit that has implications for hand hygiene. Am J Infect Control [Internet]. 2015;43(2):112–4. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2014.10.015

9Elder, N. C., Sawyer, W., Pallerla, H., Khaja, S., & Blacker, M. (2014). Hand hygiene and face touching in family medicine offices: a Cincinnati Area Research and Improvement Group (CARInG) network study. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 27(3), 339-346.

10Perski, O., Simons, D., West, R., & Michie, S. (2020). Face masks to prevent community transmission of viral respiratory infections: A rapid evidence review using Bayesian analysis. Qeios.

11Allison, M. A., Guest?Warnick, G., Nelson, D., Pavia, A. T., Srivastava, R., Gesteland, P. H., … & Byington, C. L. (2010). Feasibility of elementary school children’s use of hand gel and facemasks during influenza season. Influenza and other respiratory viruses4(4), 223-229.

 

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Face Shields are Effective Protection

Many clinicians know that compliance with masks is poor and compliance with Health Shields is great! Dr. Eli Perencevich, an Infectious Disease physician, supports wearing Health Shields (full face shields).
Health Shields offer the trifecta to help stop COVID-19 spread.
1.   The wearer is protected form other’s droplets.
2.   Other’s are protected from the wearer’s droplets.
3.   The wearer is protected from the 10 most deadly weapons. Fingers are the primary mechanism for spread of Coronavirus.
Remember we are the petri-dish that causes and perpetuates pandemics! And your hands are clean only until you touch the NEXT surface.
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Infection Prevention Tips That Work!

These are very serious times of uncertainty, so it is critical you share these simple principles with EVERYONE who wants to keep from giving themselves COVID-19, flu and many other respiratory infections(!) whether your family, friends community or others around the country and world.   Below is a video, a poster, and hand awareness principles about ways infection spreads and actions you can take to limit infection spread.  The video is designed so if you can’t read or understand English, you still get the picture!

 

 

Dr. Will’s 4 Coronavirus prevention tips that work!

  1. Do Not touch your eyes, nose or mouth the facial mucous membranes (T Zone)
  2. Handwash/sanitize regularly
  3. Clean commonly touched surfaces regularly (frequently if active disease is present)
  4. Follow the 4 Principles of Hand Awareness (henrythehand.org)

Humans are the petri dish that grow and then spread viruses perpetuating infectious disease that become outbreaks, epidemics and Pandemics!  So if we STOP contaminating our facial mucous membranes (eyes, nose or mouth) then there would never be another epidemic or Pandemic!

Please share this simple poster with the world to help “spread the word not the germs”! And put an end to the hysteria.  (For links to more general hand awareness poster in more than 20 other languages, posters can be downloaded here.

Or if you would like to translate the poster into another language for Henry the Hand , the translation template can be found here

Remember, your hands are clean only until you touch the NEXT surface!

Together WE CAN make a difference!

 

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