The city of San Diego is partnering with WAXIE Sanitary Supply and GOJO to equip all 57 recreation centers and 36 public libraries in the city with hand sanitizing stations.
"Washing your hands thoroughly and often and if water and soap are not available, then using a hand sanitizer is the next best thing," said Dr. Wilma Wooten with San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.
Dr. Wooten said getting vaccinated should always be the first line of prevention. Last year 342 people in San Diego died from complications from the flu, the most since the county started tracking flu deaths almost 20 years ago.
"When you look at it, we actually had a lot more people die from the flu than Hep A and the flu just doesn’t get that level of attention because everybody has had the flu and so there's a tendency to not take it all that seriously," said San Diego City Councilman Mark Kersey who represents District 5.
The California Restaurant Association's San Diego Chapter also announced that they will be donating 200 hand sanitizing stations to restaurants across the city.
Dr. Wooten said the highest intensity of the flu season is between October and April, but sometimes the season can last until June. She says the flu vaccine is especially recommended for people with preexisting chronic conditions like diabetes or asthma even if their symptoms are under control.
