-
-
University of California, Berkeley
Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness
1918 University Avenue, 4th floor
Berkeley, CA 94704
E-mail: redi-us @ berkeley.edu
Phone: 510.643.4921
|
How Can I Prevent Colds and Flu?
by
fluu
—
last modified
2008-01-16 18:18
WASH or clean your hands
-
Hand hygiene
-- which means washing your hands with soap and warm water, or using an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer -- is extremely effective in removing
germs from your hands. These germs include those that cause colds or
the flu, as well as others that cause different diseases.
-
Hand awareness -- which means being aware of what your hands have touched and with what they have come in contact -- can also help you avoid getting sick. If you have touched objects or surfaces that many other people have touched (e.g., classroom doorknob or overhead bus handrails), be sure to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth until after you have washed your hands or used hand sanitizer.
|
|
|
|
If you are sick with a cold or the flu,
you can reduce the chance that your friends, family, and other people
around you catch your illness by performing a few
specific behaviors:
COVER your coughs and sneezes
- Cough or sneeze into the sleeve of your upper arm or elbow, covering your mouth with the material of your clothes.
- Or, cover
your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then dispose of the tissue in a
trash receptacle. After this, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds, or
use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands.
- This way, when you touch anything around you (including another person) your hands will not transmit your germs to them.
|
 |
|
|
WEAR a mask
 |
- If you are feverish and have a cough or a sore throat: Wear a surgical mask over
your mouth and nose when you are in close contact with other people.
This mask will “cover the source” of the viruses that would otherwise
be transmitted to people around you when you cough and sneeze.
-
Another way to protect yourself from influenza, specifically, is to get a flu shot.
Flu shots are not perfect at preventing influenza, but they can help
your immune system be ready to fight the flu if you are exposed to the
flu virus this winter. Unfortunately, no such shot exists for the
common cold.
|
|
|
Just remember: WASH, COVER, WEAR
|
-
REDI-US Study Information:
Cold & Flu Information:
Collaborating Agencies:
|
