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• Cough into the fabric of your sleeve (into your elbow or on your shoulder), not your hands.

 How do I cough into my sleeve?

• When you cough into your hands, you can spread your illness to others by leaving germs on surfaces that you touch (such as doorknobs) that others touch after you. 

• If you prefer to cough into your hands, use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth, discard the tissue, then wash your hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands.

• Look before you cough! Face away from those around you when you cough or sneeze.

• Cold and flu viruses can only survive a few minutes on fabrics (such as your shirt sleeve), but can survive for hours on hard surfaces.

• On average, a working adult touches as many as many as 30 objects every minute. Just think about how many different viruses could be viable on those 30 objects during the time you touch them!

• If you don't cover your cough, you can spread respiratory droplets (which carry your germs) 3 feet away.

• When you cough, you send out droplets at a speed of 60 mph.

• Sneezes send out droplets at 100 mph!

• Soothe an irritated throat by drinking plenty of liquids or suck on a cough drop/lozenge. Herbal tea or hot water with honey by also give you some relief.

• Avoid caffeinated beverages and alcohol which will dehydrate you.

• Over-the-counter cough syrups may help you sleep better, but they won't treat the illness causing your cough. See the What to Do for Colds and Flu page in the Cold and Flu Facts section for more info about medications.