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The New Normal

Over the past few months, sanitizer use has skyrocketed on campus.
Western is ordering more than eight times the amount of sanitizer it did in May — a rise from 120 units per month to almost 1,000. Over 300 new dispensers were installed in building entrances this year and the university has started stockpiling a supply as well.
The emphasis on sanitizer is part of Western’s plan of attack against the H1N1 influenza.
“We haven’t seen a pandemic in I’m not sure how long, so yes it’s absolutely a heightened focus,” Gitta Kulczycki, vice-president of resources and operations for Western, said.
Quim Madrenas, Canada Research Chair in transplantation and immunobiology and professor of microbiology and immunology at Western, explained while sanitizer is an effective way to kill bacteria, it’s no replacement for hand washing.
He also addressed concerns that sanitizer may be harmful if overused, explaining only the most avid users are likely to see any negative effects.
“If you have someone who is using sanitizer in a compulsive manner then that may pose a risk,” Madrenas said. “The alcohol base may lead to dry skin and with that break the first barrier [against infection].”
Part of the increased use of sanitizer can be attributed to convenience, according to Jeremy Jeanson, sales and marketing manager for Easy Way, a company that produces hand sanitizers.
Despite his product’s financial success during pandemics, he advocates heavily for hand washing.
“An instant hand sanitizer is exactly that — an instant. People feel that it’s a higher level of disinfection for sanitizing because it’s an alcohol based sanitizer,” he said.
“It’s a misconception that it’s a better way to sanitize your hands.”
He added the only way to actually remove bacteria is to wash them off. While sanitizer kills germs and viruses, the dead bacteria can remain on the hands much longer.
Bryna Warshawsky, associate medical officer of health for the Middlesex-London Health Unit, said sanitizer demand is peaking in London.
“We know there’s a lot of demand out there,” Warshawsky said. “We know that pharmacies are having trouble keeping them in stock because people are buying them and wanting them.”
Western experienced its own demand difficulties in July when suppliers couldn’t keep up with orders and the University’s supply began to dwindle.
In response, Western began stockpiling large amounts of sanitizer and stored enough to last through the end of flu season, according to Elgin Austen, director of Campus Community Police Service.
Meanwhile, companies like Easy Way are enjoying increased sales.
According to Jeanson, they have seen three to four times as many sales as normal.
“Because of H1N1, people are using the hand sanitizers more frequently because there’s that fear,” Jeanson said. “When SARS was here, our hand sanitizer sales went through the roof too.”
Western is now entering the second of three phases in the flu pandemic, which is a particularly dangerous time for the flu because the population has yet to build immunity, according to Madrenas.
After a wave begins, infection quickly spreads and can cause the most serious flu cases, including death.
“The second wave of a pandemic is a steep increase in the curve. That is where we are now and that’s when we’re starting to see more mortality than before.”
After reaching a plateau, more of the population is immune or, in the case of the flu, more people have been immunized.
After the end of this wave, Western can expect a third wave some time next year when the flu will continue to spread.

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