MEMPHIS, TN - Dirty hands, toys and playground equipment are all breeding grounds for bacteria and germs. So those in the Mid-South who care for our children and grandchildren aren't taking any chances with the swine flu outbreak.
At Lindenwood Christian Child Care Center in Midtown, germs don't stand a chance.
"We have some pretty strict health and sanitation requirements," says center director, Josie Orlando. "We go above and beyond the law to make sure our kids, teachers and parents are safe."
Day care workers like Sandra Dones, who watches over a room full of one year-olds, spends her day wiping off messy faces, grubby little hands and dirty toys.
"We wash their hands," says Dones, "after every diaper change and before they eat. And we wash our hands, too."
Angela Johnson works in the same classroom as Dones and takes care of cleaning the cribs.
"Every day," says Johnson, "we take the sheets off every bed and sanitize them with bleach and water. And we let them air dry. Once it air dries, we put on another sheet."
Orlando says her teachers and staff are even more vigilant these days because of the swine flu scare.
"Some people are starting to get worried," she says. "They wonder is it going to hit us? Is it coming? Is it not coming? How does it spread?"
World health experts say the virus spreads through the air and through person to person contact. So Lindenwood kids like 3 year-old Maya and 4 year-old Jack are taught to wash their hands very carefully and thoroughly using liquid soap and hot water.
And parents like Betsy Robinson, whose one year-old daughter, Kate, attends Lindenwood, have a responsibility, too.
Moms and dads are asked not to send their kids to school or day care if the child shows any signs of illness. And parents should practice good hygiene at home.
"We have Purell in every room," says Robinson. "It's by the changing table and by the front door where we walk in and it's by the bathroom for the boys and everybody."
They're keeping it clean at Lindenwood, extra clean, trying to stay healthy and free of the swine flu.
"Germs can spread pretty quickly," says Orlando, "if you're not careful."
The three largest school districts in the Mid-South are also taking precautions against the potential threat of swine flu.
Memphis City Schools spokesperson, Quintin Taylor, tells myEyewitnessNews.com, "To ensure the health or our students, employees and their families, the MCS Office of Coordinated School Health is working closely with the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department to monitor this situation."
Shelby County Schools is also in contact with health department officials. And a notice went out to staff.
"We encourage good hygiene," says SCS spokesperson Mike Tebbe. "Everybody needs to cover a cough and wash their hands."
And DeSoto County Schools spokesperson Katherine Nelson tells myEyewitnessNews.com: "we sent a memo to administrators and schools to encourage hand washing. We also sent a CDC fact sheet on good health."
Bottom line for those who work, live and play near children: wash, wash and wash your hands. And remind your kids to do the same.