Cough/sneeze into your elbow or sleeve?

Wasn't it cough into your hands?
Not anymore...

Did you know germs stay alive on hands for up to three hours? And that 80 percent of infections are spread by hand?

Given that a young child can touch over 300 surfaces in 1/2 hour and they don't like to wash their hands, the worst place for them to cough and sneeze is their hands. That is a guarantee that the germs will be spread faster than light and soon get everyone around the child sick.

How many things that you touch do you think they will touch before they go and wash their hands?

Next time you see a young child cough and sneeze into their hands, watch where the hands go next. It is an eye opening experience.

But, when a kid needs to cough and sneeze, what are their options?

The air? Infects everything in their path at 90+ miles an hour within up to a 5 ft radius!
A tissue? Great for blowing and wiping noses but most children aren't near a tissue when a sudden cough or sneeze comes on. Also requires them to stop what they are doing and find a tissue!
A mask?It may work in Japan but is it really practical?

Doctors recommend teaching children to cough/sneeze into their elbow or sleeve.

Why?

Unlike the tissue, the elbow is always there.

Unlike like their hand, the elbow doesn't touch everything.

Try touching a surface with your elbow - it is hard to do!

Check out other advocates of cough/sneeze into your sleeve

President Obama 9/1/09 - "And most importantly we need everyone to get informed about individual risk factors, and we need everyone to take the common-sense steps that we know can make a difference. Stay home if you're sick. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your sneezes with your sleeve, not your hands. And take all the necessary precautions to stay healthy. I know it sounds simple, but it's important and it works."
Internet search on cough into elbow
Kathleen Sebelius Video
You Tube video of evolution of sleeve (video)
Childrens National Medical Center
Health Corner - Walgreens
Child Health Month
Keep Kids Healthy
American Academy of Pediatrics
CDC
Cough & Sneeze Into Your Sleeve Song Competition
Cough Safe (video)
Florida Health Dept - The Cougher (video)
Discovery Education - Story Behind the Sneeze (video)
Hand Washing for Kids recommended by Samantha in Deleware. Thanks Samantha!

And this report from an ex-hand cougher - Flu fighters -- The Purell generation that coughs in its `pocket'

Eric Zorn

Cough and Sneeze into your elbow / sleeve

Germ Smarts for Kids with the Germy Wormy Disposable Sleeve makes teaching kids cough/sneeze into your sleeve fun, fast, easy and keeps sleeves clean!

Raise Kids' Germ Smarts - Reduce the spread of colds and flu's!

Give kids a fun PLACE to give their germs to - instead of everywhere else!