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Staff photo by Greg Lynch
Debbie Reed, Sally Openshaw and Logan Feiler shop on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009, in the Halloween section of the Target store at Bridgewater Falls in Fairfield Twp., Butler County, Ohio.
Is swine flu threat the biggest Halloween scare?
Trick-or-treating door-to-door should be OK for most, but experts say use common sense.
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By Jessica Heffner,
Staff Writer
2:38 AM Sunday, October 25, 2009
Instead of passing out candy this year to young trick-or-treaters, you may want to consider a bottle of hand sanitizer.
The outbreak of H1N1, also known as the swine flu, is dampening Halloween fun as concerns over contracting the virus have some changing plans.
Events canceled
Several nursing homes that normally sponsor trick-or-treat events, such as Berkeley Square Retirement Center in Hamilton, have canceled plans to decrease chances of people getting the new strain of influenza.
The city of Middletown also canceled its annual trick-or-treat event at the city building, that was to be held Friday, Oct. 30, after Health Commissioner David Winfough advised it could pose a possible health risk to employees, visitors and the children.
Jackie Phillips, nursing director for the Middletown Health Department, advised all residents to carefully consider attending large gatherings, such as Halloween parties, as these can be a breeding ground for the virus.
“Large gatherings increase the risk of illness,” she said. “That includes any place: church, football games and holiday parties. It’s those touchy-touchy, feely-feely places where you’re more likely to get it.”
When it comes to trick-or-treating, Phillips said the risk of getting the virus is much lower.
So long as residents are dropping the candy directly into the treat bags, there should be minimum exposure. Also, Phillips said the outdoor environment likely will kill a lot of the germs.
“If it were me, I would still do (trick-or-treating),” she said. “Just realize, sick people should stay home, don’t go trick-or-treating and don’t pass out candy.”
Heather Landis, 25, of Hamilton said she will be stocked with her cell phone, flashlight and hand sanitizer while trick-or-treating to protect her children from anything that goes bump — or coughs — in the night.
Landis showed up at the first free H1N1 vaccination clinic by the Butler County Health Department at the Butler County Fairgrounds held Friday, Oct. 23, but turned back after seeing the long lines.
“I will just wait and get it at the doctor’s office,” she said. “It’s disappointing, but I’ll make sure to have a lot of hand-washing and sanitizer, especially on trick-or-treat.”
Taking precautions
Local health departments shared the following precautions to minimize holiday sickness:
Wash your hands, especially at public gatherings and before and after trick-or-treating.
Don’t eat candy en-route. Parents should check over candy first anyway to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. Wrappers will carry the most germs, so wait to eat candy until you can get home and wash your hands.
Carry hand sanitizer. If you’re worried, squirt a little on your hands whenever you think about it while you’re out to kill any germs.
Cover your mouth. A Halloween mask can be very handy as it will help you avoid breathing in germs or spreading your own.
Have fun. Remember, your risk of illness is low, so unless you are feeling sick already, it’s unlikely you’ll contract H1N1.
Holiday sales
While holiday sales are supposed to be scary for retailers this year — down 15 percent from 2008 to $4.75 billion, or $56.31 per person according to the National Retail Federation — the flu outbreak has created some interesting trends.
Swine flu has been named the No. 1 costume idea, according to the online community Costumzee. Retailers reported that Halloween costume hot-spots, such as Halloween Express, Spirit Halloween and Halloween USA, are selling out of pig snouts as people buy them up to make their own costumes. Company officials did not elaborate on overall sales figures.
Hand sanitizer sales also are up. Between July and September, shipments of hand sanitizer rose more than 129 percent over the previous year, according to Panjiva, a data-tracking and analysis firm, which called sales of the germ killer “a holiday hit.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2843 or jheffner@coxohio.com.
Area Beggars Nights
The following communities are holding trick-or-treat night on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31:
Carlisle: 5:30-7 p.m.
College Corner: 6-8 p.m.
Deerfield Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
Fairfield: 6-8 p.m.
Fairfield Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
Franklin: 6-8 p.m.
Franklin Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
Germantown:v 6-8 p.m.
Hamilton: 6-8 p.m.
Hanover Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
Jacksonburg: 5:30-7 p.m.
Lebanon: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Liberty Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
Madison Twp.: 5:30-7 p.m.
Maineville: 6-8 p.m.
Mason: 6-8 p.m.
Middletown: 5:30-7 p.m.
Monroe: 6-8 p.m.
Milford Twp.: 6-7:30 p.m.
New Miami: 6-8 p.m.
Oxford: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Oxford Twp.: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Reily Twp.: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Ross Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
St. Clair Twp.: 6-8 p.m.
Springboro: 6-8 p.m.
Trenton: 5:30-7 p.m.
Turtlecreek Twp.: 5:30-7 p.m.
Waynesville: 6-8 p.m.
West Chester Twp: 6-8 p.m.
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