Flu and You

Forrest M. Mims III

Cold and flu season will soon arrive. So now is the time to begin protecting yourself from the viruses that cause these illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides good advice for a personal war against the viruses and other microbes that cause diseases. The key advice on their web site is simple: "Clean Hands Save Lives."

According to the CDC, "Whether you're at home, at work, or at school, hand washing is one of the most important things you can do to keep from getting sick and from spreading germs to others."

Hand washing protect more than those who wash their hands. According to the CDC, "Hand washing is one of the most important things you can do to keep from getting sick and from spreading germs to others."

Last month, the CDC sponsored "Celebrating National Clean Hands Week!" It's about time. Hand washing frequency in the US is not what it used to be. Science fair projects and studies by professional scientists alike have revealed that many children and adults people who use public bathrooms fail to wash their hands afterwards.

Some people claim that public bathroom faucet handles are much dirtier than their hands. Automatic faucets are solving this problem. Meanwhile, you can use the back of your hand or a paper towel to start and stop the water.

When you can't find soap in a school or public restroom, you can tell someone in charge. When the bathroom in a restaurant doesn't have soap, you can tell the management.

Would you eat a meal prepared by someone with unwashed hands? Would they?

Many people fail to practice what is known as "cough etiquette." Instead of covering their mouth when they sneeze or cough, they spray you and me with whatever microbes happens to be lurking in their throats.

People should always shield their mouth while coughing, ideally with tissue paper or by coughing into their elbow. They should then wash their hands. Otherwise, everything they touch will be contaminated with what caused the cough in the first place.

So how do civilized people like you and me protect ourselves from those who don't wash their hands or block their coughs?

We have to do what they don't. Frequent hand washing is a must during cold and flu season. In between, never touch your mouth, nose or face or rub your eyes. These are open invitations for viruses and bacteria to pass from dirty door knobs and hand rails to your hands and directly into your body.

Forrest M. Mims III and his science are featured online at www.forrestmims.org.

This feature was originally published in Forrest Mims's weekly science column in the Seguin Gazette-Enterprise, Seguin, Texas. The column is written for a general audience.