How to Cough and Sneeze Properly in Public

We all know that no one likes cold and flu season, especially when there is a sudden need to cough or sneeze in public. It is oftentimes socially embarrassing, but more importantly, it can be a major culprit in the spread of airborne illness. This simple article will review how to properly cough and/or sneeze in public to (hopefully) help prevent the spread of airborne diseases.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sleeve garment
• Tissue
• Soap and water
• Hand sanitizing lotion

1. 
   Coughing/sneezing into a tissue only adds to the potential for spreading germs.

   Cough or sneeze into fabric such as your sleeve as recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of the microorganisms (good old "germs") do not fair well on fabric and die. Coughing or sneezing into your hands, handkerchief or a tissue is NOT the right thing to do, contrary to what we have been socialized to believe.

2. Slightly turn away from people you are around and crook your elbow over your nose and mouth whenever you feel the urge to cough or sneeze.

3. Politely excuse yourself and take the opportunity to go wash your hands in the nearest restroom or apply sanitizing hand gel. Just a basic FYI: the evidenced-based research says that nothing beats good old soap and water for washing your hands--however, sanitizing gels have their place when access to a restroom is limited.

Tips & Warnings

• Teaching children the proper way to cough will help decrease the spread of airborne diseases.
• Watch the video in Resources below. It presents this very serious way of reducing the spread of germs in a very humorous manner. This may be a great way to get your kids into proper public coughing and sneezing.
• Sneezing into the sleeve is an important way to help reduce the spread of airborne diseases throughout the world.
• If a tissue is used, it should only be used once and followed immediately with hand washing.

Resources

• Coughing Into a Sleeve

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on 2/3/2009 I didn't know that you were supposed to sneeze into sleeves because the germs can't survive - I thought it was just to keep it off of your hands. Great tips!