Clean the space between the thumb and index finger; Work the finger tips into the palms to clean under the nails

So, we're awaiting the pandemic. Whatever it is. But one of the ways to avoid mass death is... to wash your hands. Properly. Regularly.

The Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has published a manual for coping with avian flu, here. Why has the CME produced this? Because pestilence is bad for business.

Despite my snark, this is actually an interesting guide to Canadian labour and health law (including the legalities of quarantine) and includes a handy-dandy plague symptom checklist.

There's a brief look back: "Historic evidence suggests that pandemics have occurred three to four times per century. In the last century there were three influenza pandemics ('Spanish flu' in 1918–19; 'Asian flu' in 1957–58 and 'Hong Kong flu' in 1968–69), separated by intervals of 11 to 44 years. The worst, in 1918–19, killed an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people in Canada and 20 to 40 million people worldwide. During each of the last three pandemics, the greatest increase in death rates occurred among persons less than 60 years of age; in 1918–19, the greatest number of deaths occurred in those 20 to 40 years of age."

And this: "Upon arrival, the virus will spread across Canada with great speed (In 1918, returning soldiers with influenza traveling on trains carried the virus from Quebec to Vancouver in only a few weeks). The first peak of illness in Canada is likely to occur within two to four months after the virus arrives in Canada. The first peak in mortality is expected one month after the peak in illness."

We will become, for a time, afraid of each other. Managers should "implement guidelines to modify the frequency and type of face-to-face contact (e.g. hand-shaking, seating in meetings, office layout, shared workstations) among employees and between employees and customers."

In all, 90 pages, and worth reading. But not at bed time.

Oh yeah, the hand washing: "Provide sufficient and accessible infection control supplies (e.g. hand-hygiene products, tissues and receptacles for their disposal) in all business locations." And make sure you've got lots of soap and paper towels on hand, because "it may be difficult to purchase such products once a pandemic begins."