It’s that time of year again. School is in session and the germs are already going around. As of today, we have been in school a total of 12 days and as a result, three people we know have already contracted strep throat.

Good health habits like covering your cough and washing your hands OFTEN can help stop the spread of germs. In addition, the tips below will help you learn steps you can take to protect yourself and help stop the spread of germs. Make sure you are sharing this information with school-aged kids and teaching them how to properly wash their hands.

1. 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.
2. Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.
3. 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. Flu and other serious respiratory illnesses, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), are spread by cough, sneezing, or unclean hands.
4. Clean your hands. Frequent hand-washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading illness. Although it’s impossible to keep your hands germ-free, washing your hands frequently can help limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes.

Always wash your hands before:

1. • Preparing food or eating
   • Treating wounds or caring for a sick person
   • Inserting or removing contact lenses

Always wash your hands after:

1. • Preparing food
   • Using the toilet, changing a diaper or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
   • Touching an animal, animal feed or animal waste
   • Blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
   • Treating wounds or caring for a sick person
   • Handling garbage
   • Handling pet food or pet treats

Also, wash your hands when they are visibly dirty.

How to wash your hands

 It’s generally best to wash your hands with soap and water. Over-the-counter antibacterial soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap.

Follow these steps:

1. • Wet your hands with clean, running water — either warm or cold.
   • Apply soap and lather well.
   • Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. With children, have them sing “happy birthday to you” in their head- twice. Remember to scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
   • Rinse well.
   • Dry your hands with a clean towel or air-dry them.

1. 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.
2. Practice other good health habits. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Fun Fact: Nearly 80 percent of illness-causing germs are spread by your hands. Your remote control is a top carrier of bacteria. There are more germs on your phone, keyboard and cutting board than on a toilet seat. One in five people don’t wash their hands, and of those that do, only 30 percent use soap.

Know someone who doesn’t wash their hands? Be sure to share our blog with them!