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- Clean your hands with soap and warm water and rub well for 15 seconds:
- Before touching or eating food
- After using the bathroom, taking out trash, changing a diaper
- After visiting someone who is ill
- After playing with a pet
- Make sure health care providers clean their hands or wear gloves.
- Doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care providers come into contact with lots of bacteria and viruses. So before they treat you, ask them if they’ve cleaned their hands.
- Don’t be afraid to ask them if they should wear gloves when performing tasks such as taking blood, touching wounds, or examining your mouth or private parts.
- Cover your mouth and nose.
- When you sneeze or cough, the germs can travel 3 feet or more!
- Use a tissue and clean your hands after coughing or sneezing.
- No tissue? Cover your mouth and nose with the bend of your elbow. If you use your hands – clean them right away.
- If you are sick, avoid close contact with others.
- Stay home
- Don’t shake hands or touch others
- When you go for treatment, call ahead and let them know you are ill.
- Get shots to avoid disease and fight the spread of infection.
- Make sure that your vaccinations are current—even for adults. Check with your doctor about shots you may need. Vaccinations are available to prevent many diseases.
