Recommendation on Personal Protective Measures
for Reducing Transmission of Human Influenza
Wash your hands regularly [and especially before eating]
Washing hands protects against both direct and indirect with the flu
virus. Direct contact involves, for example, shaking hands with an
infected person who has touched his mouth or nose, or who has used his
hand to cover a cough or sneeze. Indirect contact involves touching, for
example, a doorknob, tap, or discarded tissue handled by an infected
person.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze
Droplets travel only a short distance and hence those most at risk of
getting infected are those in close proximity (within a metre) to
infected persons who are coughing and sneezing without covering their
mouth and nose. Covering your mouth and nose will help to prevent
transmission.
Dispose of tissue properly
Since the influenza virus can temporarily survive outside the body,
transmission can also occur from freshly contaminated inanimate objects,
such as handkerchiefs and tissues or by hand to hand contact. People who
have direct or indirect contact with respiratory secretions are
therefore at risk of getting the flu, for example when an individual
comes into contact with a tissue recently used by an infected person.
If you do not have a tissue available, cover your mouth nose
If you do not have a tissue, sneezing into your hands and immediately
washing them afterwards or into your upper arm helps to prevent the
virus from spreading.
Stay at home when you are ill
Individuals are most infectious soon after they develop symptoms and,
although they can continue to emit viruses for up to five days after the
onset of symptoms (7 days in children), the amount of viruses emitted,
and hence the risk of infection drops steadily. It is advisable to stay
at home as soon as you begin to develop symptoms. If you are getting
worse, seek medical attention.
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