Health Myth: Does Covering Your Mouth When Coughing Keep Germs From Spreading?

Whether or not you cover your mouth or become the office pariah by letting your coughs fly free, the best way to prevent germs from spreading is simply by washing your hands. Why? The average Joe touches his nose and/or mouth 3.6 times every hour and foreign objects (like those doorknobs and keyboards) 3.3 times every hour, according to a 2012 National Institutes of Health-led study (PDF). To add insult to infection-filled injury, 95 percent of people don’t wash their hands correctly, if at all, and more than half of men don’t use soap, per the results of a 2013 Michigan State University study (PDF). Gross.

FYI, the right (aka effective) way to wash your hands is to lather up for 20 seconds, vigorously rubbing both sides and under fingernails before rinsing well. If you go the hand sanitizer route, apply a generous layer and allow it to dry completely.

So in the end, coughing into the crook of your elbow is probably a good idea, unless you’re wearing designer threads, that is. But for God’s sake, wash your hands.

Get more advice on dodging the cold and flu:
Read More http://www.details.com/blogs/daily-details/2014/01/health-myth-covering-your-mouth-when-you-cough-keeps-germs-from-spreading.html#ixzz2pua2gKAm

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