Health Information
Germs spread
As a patient or visitor, you may notice hospital staff with respiratory masks or gloves. Do not be alarmed. This is a precaution to protect patients as well as staff from illnesses such as colds, flu and other transmittable diseases.
The main way that illnesses like colds and flu are spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This is called "droplet spread." This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and are deposited on the mouth or nose of people nearby. Sometimes germs also can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. We know that some viruses and bacteria can live live hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks.
You can help stop the spread of germs
- Cover your mouth and nose
- Clean your hands often
- Remind children to practice healthy habits, too
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.
- Wash your hands with soap and hot water as long as it takes you to sing the "Happy Birthday" song.
- Alcohol-based hand wipes and gel sanitizers work to get your hands clean, too.
When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.
(Information for this article came from the September 2001 issue of the FDA/CFSAN Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide on handwashing.)