Keep Your Club Patrons Healthy during the Flu Season
Nov 3, 2009 5:59 PM, By Peter J. Sheldon Sr.
Health clubs and gyms are primarily focused on promoting healthy living, but as the flu season approaches, they become extra adept at harboring a variety of germs and microbes. On top of the regular flu season, leading health experts are projecting that the H1N1 virus could affect as much as 50 percent of the American population this fall.
Each year, an estimated 25 million to 50 million flu cases are reported in the United States, leading to around 150,000 hospitalizations and as many as 40,000 deaths. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, approximately 25 percent of the entire U.S.population is afflicted with flu-associated illnesses annually. And to think, if people simply took more precautions to prevent getting sick, that number could dramatically decrease.
Whether it is H1N1 or any strain of influenza, responsible gym owners, managers and operators should take significant precautions to help quell the spread of germs in their facilities.
So many perspiring people sharing machines, dumbbells, benches and other exercise equipment leads to the perfect conditions for sharing viruses and bacteria.
