Don’t shake, says the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).
At least, for now.
Eliminating the handshake for a while may go a long way towards reducing person-to-person contact that spreads Swine Flu, says the association in a statement.
The public has been told that a cough or sneeze that can’t be caught in a handkerchief should be directed to a cuff or sleeve.
“I find it highly unlikely that executives will risk soiling their business suits while on the way to an important business meeting, on the odd shot that they could be halting the spread of the H1N1 influenza germ,” said Susan Gurley, ACTE executive director. She added:
“A random polling of ACTE members has revealed it would be easier to drop the traditional handshake, for the duration of the health crisis — should one develop — as opposed to sneezing or coughing into a sleeve.”
Aside from a flu vaccination, which may or may not prevent an infection, Gurley recommends carrying a small two or three-ounce bottle of hand sanitizer (plus a packet of tissues) to keep one’s hands as clean as possible.
At least one source says that death from swine flu statistically is less likely than drowning in a home bathtub accident, according to Freeman Productions, an Australian-based cultural consulting company. They maintain the chief beneficiaries of Swine Flu hysteria are drug makers and others.
By David Wilkening
