What is an infection preventionist you ask?

It means you are promoting a healthy lifestyle and taking measures to prevent sickness before you or others ever contract it.

This is what WETKEYS strives to do and you can too! The APIC offers resources for you to become one.

If you desire to live a healthy lifestyle, stop by our site and check out our products. Everything we make is waterproof and cleanable, so you can stop germs in their tracks.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle notes that as the costs of providing employees with healthcare skyrocket, more and more companies are “jumping on the wellness bandwagon, providing a myriad of health programs and offerings to their employees.”

While the ROI on wellness programs can be difficult to measure, this investment seems to improve companies’ long-term bottom line.  In a recent article, Harvard economics professor David Cutler estimated that medical costs could fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on employee wellness programs and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent. [1]

At no cost to you, WETKEYS.com offers a way for your company to broaden its wellness offerings and ultimately benefit its bottom line.  Throughout the course of their workday, your employees touch their keyboards more than any other surface.  Particularly in shared workspaces, multiple users touching keyboards and mice can mean cross-contamination, more sick days, and increased healthcare costs.

We have many products to fit your needs. The 108T is a great example of a keyboard for your workspace. It has a built-in touchpad and is flexible so it is easily portable.

Get yours today!

Well you may be eligible for them.

This website is a wealth of information for anyone concerned about EHR initiatives.

As WETKEYS continues to bring you EHR news, we will also be updating our products to meet new standards.

So check out WETKEYS today and get yourself a washable and cleanable keyboard.

WETKEYS wants to know the wildest place you have used your keyboard.

The top 3 responses with the coolest stories will be re-posted to our blog and those persons sent $10 off coupons.  So let us know your story and you could win!

Many of us are taking a trip someone this holiday season. Whether it is to visit family, vacation some place exotic or for business, there is a good chance you are taking a plane to get to your destination.

Unfortunately, planes help the spread of germs and it is never fun being sick for the holidays. And if you are bringing a laptop with you to get some work done, that keyboard is going to be awfully nasty by the time you arrive.

Luckily, WETKEYS has a solution for you. Our keyboards are washable and cleanable. Many are portable and designed as travel keyboards.

So this season, keep yourself healthy by picking up a keyboard from WETKEYS.

New statistics for the number of cases of H1N1 “Swine Flu” have been released.

Reuters reports the following:

“H1N1 swine flu killed an estimated 3,900 Americans from April to October, including more than 500 children, U.S. health officials said on Thursday.

Better data than was previously available shows the flu pandemic has infected an estimated 22 million Americans and put 98,000 in the hospital, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.”

To read the full article, click here

The numbers do not mean the flu has gotten worse, just that the statistics about it have gotten more accurate. All in all, the number of people with H1N1 has risen to 22 million .

To see maps and statistics on the flu outbreak, you can go to FluView or FluTrends

To help stay healthy, go to WETKEYS.com and get yourself a cleanable keyboard and mouse. We offer great low prices and a wide variety of products to fit any need.

Here’s to your health!

You’ve heard of 6 packs, but try the new WETKEYS 10 pack.

This freshly brewed 10-pack comes in the 109 or 85 version of keyboards. It’s sent to you fast, so you know it’s good.

We recommend the 109 for those seeking a full-bodied keyboard. It’s a sophisticated 109-key keyboard, that can be cleaned for a smooth finish. And of course, it is flexible, just like your schedule.

For those seeking a less-filling keyboard, we recommend the 85. This light version keyboard has only 85-keys and measures less than 14 inches across. Perfect for anyone working in a tight space and with a tight budget.

Either way, it’s a good call to pick up a 10-pack from WETKEYS. Did I mention you save 45% off the regular price?

Global Handwashing Day 2009 will revolve around schools and children. On Global Handwashing Day, playgrounds, classrooms, community centers, and the public spaces of towns and cities will be awash with activity to drive handwashing behavior change on a scale never seen before, bringing the critical issue to center stage. Global Handwashing Day will be the centerpiece of a week of activities that will mobilize millions of people in more than 70 countries across all five continents to wash their hands with soap.

Let’s help keep our hands clean when we return to our keyboard. Washable keyboards help eliminate the spread of germs and diseases by being fully waterpoof and resistant to most cleaning solutions. WETKEYS offers the widest selection of washable keyboards and mice. 

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(Wall Street Journal) — They lurk on the kitchen sponge, your computer keyboard and the dirty laundry. Flush the toilet and they become airborne. Strangers leave them behind on airplanes, gas pumps, shopping carts, coffeeshop counters and elevator buttons. Your desktop, office microwave handles, and the exercise bike at the gym are covered with them. Don’t even think about the toys at day-care centers or the kids’ playground equipment.

Germs—the microscopic bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa that can cause disease—cling to the most common surfaces and then hitch a ride on our hands. As swine flu spreads from person to person around the world, it is most often being transmitted by coughing or sneezing, but it can also infect people who touch something with flu virus on it and then touch their mouth or nose, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns. And like an unwelcome house guest, a flu virus can hang around for days.

No wonder germophobes—including me—are on high alert, viewing every surface as a potentially lethal petri dish. We’re using our elbows to push elevator buttons, forgoing the handshake and social kiss for the fist bump, and fanatically disinfecting everything in sight.

But how vulnerable are we to the sea of germs swirling around us? Our immune system protects us from most of them, and in some spots that harbor germs, like household drains, the risk of transfer is low. Experts say there’s no reason to panic—even though there may be good reasons to be grossed out, since the spread of germs is often linked to poor bathroom hygiene and bacteria from human waste.

Cleaning and disinfecting things like desks and doorknobs can play a role in protecting us, he says, but “focusing on one surface misses the point, because no surface is not germy.” (The CDC.gov Web site offers information on keeping germs at bay in the home, how to wash your hands correctly, and the importance of flu vaccines and other immunizations in preventing disease.)Also, not all germs are harmful; we need friendly bacteria that live on our skin to help fight off bad bugs, and bacteria in our mouth and gut help digest our food and prevent illness and disease.

Still, I wanted to know where in my home, office and wider world I should most forcefully brandish my disinfectant wipes and hand-sanitizer. My calls to experts turned up some surprising culprits: the public toilet seats I’d always been warned about are likely cleaner than the desks in my workplace. My kitchen sponge and cutting board harbor the biggest dangers, as do places like elevator buttons, communal coffee carafes and gym equipment, that are touched by many hands and are rarely cleaned.

One of the scariest germ incubators may be the office. Your co-worker eating at the next cubicle isn’t just annoying you with the smell of fried onions—he’s leaving behind particles of food that can be breeding ground for bacteria. Add in the microbes transferred from workers’ hands to keyboards, phones and the computer mouse, and the average office desk is may harbor 400 times more germs than the average toilet seat, since office desks and surfaces may be rarely cleaned, while bathrooms tend to be disinfected regularly, Dr. Gerba says.

After testing surfaces and objects in 113 offices in five cities, the Arizona researchers found that women’s offices had more than twice the bacteria of their male counterparts. Makeup cases, phones and purses had the highest number of bacteria; for men it was wallets, hand-held electronic devices and phones. Women’s offices had higher numbers of mold and yeast, mostly from food kept in drawers. But the superbug MRSA, isolated in 6% of offices, was found more often in men’s offices on the phone, computer mouse, desktop and the bottom of desk drawers.

The studies are funded by makers of disinfectants including Procter & Gamble and Clorox, whose products were also used to test the effectiveness of cleaning and compare regular cleaning regimens to disinfecting with substances like bleach. Dr. Gerba says more research is needed on the link between surface germs and disease, since it’s impossible to say who will get sick. “Some people will never get ill no matter what they do or don’t do, and others will get ill almost every time,” he notes.

A washable keyboard and mouse are a great way to minimize the amount of germs that linger on your desk. WETKEYS.com offers a wide selection of cleanable keyboards and mice for any work environment and keyboard user.

Where the Worst Germs Lurk 

(USA Today) — The only thing experts can say for sure about this flu season is that it will be unlike any other, with multiple flu viruses circulating, one of which most people are defenseless against. “This year we are in uncharted territory,” says Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Thomas Frieden. “What will happen in the coming weeks and months will only become clear in the weeks and months ahead.” Here is a handy guide to prepare for flu season by USA TODAY’s Steve Sternberg, compiled from information provided by the CDC and other sources.

What is Novel H1N1 (swine flu)?

It is an influenza virus that has never been seen in humans before and is spreading around the world. On June 11, the World Health Organization issued its highest form of global public health alert when it labeled the disease a pandemic.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Many people also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. Most people recover without hospitalization, but some people get so sick they need intensive care, and some of those don’t survive.

Can I protect myself from getting sick?

Get vaccinated. Vaccine for H1N1 flu is due in October, although certain groups are asked to move toward the head of the line. Vaccine for seasonal flu is available now. Public health experts advise adults and children to get both vaccines, because seasonal flu, by itself, kills 36,000 people a year and causes 200,000 hospitalizations. Jon McCullers of St. Jude’s Children’s Research also recommends that children get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia, which has been a major cause of deaths in previous flu epidemics.

Who should get vaccine?

• The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends swine flu vaccination for pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months old, health care workers, young people ages 6 months to 24 years and people 25 to 64 with chronic medical conditions or weakened immunity. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has urged health workers and people who care for infants to get vaccinated, because they so often come in contact with those who are most vulnerable to severe flu complications. “The best way to protect babies is to protect those who come in close contact with them,” she says.

• Seasonal vaccine is recommended for infants and young people 6 months to 19 years old; people caring for infants up to 6 months old; pregnant women, people 50 and older, people with chronic disease, health care workers and others who want to reduce their risk of getting sick.

Is vaccine the only option?

No, it’s the most reliable option. But the CDC recommends these common-sense approaches:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow. Throw out dirty tissues immediately.

• Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing. Alcohol hand sanitizers are effective.

• Keep hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.

• If you’re sick with flulike illness, keep away from others to keep from making them sick.

• Avoid close contact with sick people, if possible.

A washable keyboard and mice are another great way to help protect yourself from the flu. Cleanable keyboards from WETKEYS, can be easily sanitized and cleaned with virtually and cleaning solution, or even just soap and water. Keeping your washable keyboard clean can really help strengthen your hand-washing efforts.