Elmo urges children to ‘wash, wash, wash’ hands to fight infection

Popular Sesame Street veterans Elmo and Gordon are helping health officials get the word out to children about preventing the spread of the novel H1N1 virus and the seasonal flu.

Four public service advertisements, first released last spring when H1N1 first appeared in North America, have been repurposed to promote www.flu.gov, the federal government’s website for the latest information on the new H1N1 virus and the seasonal flu.

The PSAs, which feature Gordon and Elmo demonstrating the proper way to wash hands and practicing healthy habits like sneezing and coughing into the bends of their arms, will be distributed nationwide and will be supported in airtime donated by television stations.

“We are thrilled to partner with Elmo, Gordon and Sesame Workshop again to emphasize the steps kids and their parents can take to stay happy and healthy this school year,” Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a press release. “Younger children and their parents are some of the people most at risk from the new H1N1 flu virus and with schools starting back up again and the weather starting to get colder, we need to do everything we can to get these important messages about how to prevent the spread of the flu out there.”

Meanwhile, schools are taking steps for a possible fall H1N1 resurgence, distributing information to students, teachers and parents about avoiding infection and cautioning them to stay home if they are sick.

A report issued last week by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology cautioned the novel virus could affect as much as half of the population. A vaccine is in development but is not expected until at least mid-October.