Stopping Spread of Germs

The single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get vaccinated each year, but good health habits like covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like the flu. There also are flu antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent the flu.

Avoid close contact.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick.

If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

Clean your hands.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits.

Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

How Germs Spread

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 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks.

How to Stop the Spread of Germs

In a nutshell: take care to

• Cover your mouth and nose
• Clean your hands often
• Remind your 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.

The "Happy Birthday" song helps keep your hands clean?

Not exactly. Yet we recommend that when you wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. That's about the same time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice!

Alcohol-Based Hand Wipes and Gel Sanitizers Work 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.*

• Source: FDA/CFSAN Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide, September 2001: Handwashing.

Germs and Children

Remind children to practice healthy habits too, because germs spread, especially at school.

The flu has caused high rates of absenteeism among students and staff in our country's 119,000 schools. Influenza is not the only respiratory infection of concern in schools -- nearly 22 million schools days are lost each year to the common cold alone. However, when children practice healthy habits, they miss fewer days of school.

More Facts, Figures, and How-Tos

CDC and its partner agencies and organizations offer a great deal of information about handwashing and other things you can do to stop the germs that cause flu, the common cold, and other illnesses. See Other Resources and Posters on this Stop the Spread of Germs site for a select listing of Web sites, materials, and contact information.

=Stop the Spread of Germs in Schools

• Approximately 1/5 of the U.S. population attends or works in schools. (U.S. Dept of Ed, 1999).
• Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to 2 hours or more on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. (Ansari, 1988; Scott and Bloomfield, 1989)
• Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone. (CDC, 1996)
• Addressing the spread of germs in schools is essential to the health of our youth, our schools, and our nation.
• Students need to get plenty of sleep and physical activity, drink water, and eat good food to help them stay healthy in the winter and all year.

How Germs Spread

Illnesses like the flu (influenza) and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu and colds usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

How to Help Stop the Spread of Germs

Take care to:

• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
• Clean your hands often
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed
• Practice other good health habits.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
• 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.

Clean your hands often

When available, wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- then rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces. Wash for 15 to 20 seconds. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs.

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 a gel, rub the gel in your hands until they are dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in the gel kills germs that cause colds and the flu.*

• Source: FDA/CFSAN Food Safety A to Z Reference Guide, September 2001: Handwashing.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth

Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs can live for a long time (some can live for 2 hours or more) on surfaces like doorknobs, desks, and tables.

Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed

When you are sick or have flu symptoms, stay home, get plenty of rest, and check with a health care provider as needed. Your employer may need a doctor’s note for an excused absence. Remember: Keeping your distance from others may protect them from getting sick. Common symptoms of the flu include:

• fever (usually high)
• headache
• extreme tiredness
• cough
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• muscle aches, and
• nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, (much more common among children than adults).

More Facts, Figures, and How-To Ideas

CDC and its partner agencies and organizations offer a great deal of information about handwashing and other things you can do to stay healthy and avoid the germs that cause flu, the common cold, and other illnesses. See Other Resources and Posters on this Stop the Spread of Germs site for a select listing of Web sites, materials, and contact information.

Stop the Spread of Germs that Make You and Others Sick!

Serious respiratory illnesses like influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) are spread by:

• Coughing or sneezing
• Unclean hands

To help stop the spread of germs,

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
• Put your used tissue in the waste basket.

Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing

• Wash with soap and water.

or

• Clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner.

Note: You may be asked to put on a surgical mask to protect others.

Printable formats of "Cover Your Cough"

Posters only available as PDF files.

For Health Care Settings

For Community and Public Settings Like Schools and Child Care Facilities

Related Links

Stopping the Spread of Germs at Work NEW ! Oct 15, 2004

Printable Materials for Promoting Good Health Habits

• Cover Your Cough
• Be a Germ Stopper: Healthy Habits Keep You Well
• Flu Prevention Toolkit: Real People. Real Solutions
• Stopping the Spread of Germs at Home, Work & School