Sure, you don’t shake hands with your elbow, but how often do you cross your arms, touch someone on the arm while talking to them, pick up your jacket later by the sleeve, straighten your sleeve or do a multitude of other similar things. Not to mention the elbow pretty much guarantees the germs with be placed on nice warm clothing which won’t get washed anywhere nearly as often as your hands.
What a weird suggestion. Our government (UK) is merely suggesting that we sneeze or cough into a tissue then bin it. Of course here if we have a snuffle and go to the doctor then we will either get treated at (virtually) no cost or told to man up and stop whinging about a silly cold (actually that might be me projecting, I only go to doctors for serious stuff).
Exactly, SARS, Avian Flu, H1N1, or whatever else is coming!
I don’t think people realize the dangers spreading these viruses. Even if you’re not concerned about viruses and germs yourself, the main focus is to curb the spread of these viruses to others, especially those with deficient immune systems.
Secondly, you may not be able to rely on your own immune system to fight off H1N1 because this strain is unlike anything you’ve contracted before. You just don’t have similar enough antibodies and it will take longer for your immune system develop them and fight it off.
All the more reason to get all the various bugs and germs and the like so your body has a healthy range of antibodies, before it mutates into something really deadly.
H1N1 is a relatively weak bug, with just a very few people have complications. If you are not one of these then there is no point getting hysterical about it, and it may be counter productive to your long term health to go to extremes to avoid it.
Except that I don’t have allergies and I hardly ever get sick because I…wash my hands frequently and don’t stand in front of people who are coughing on me! See how that works? While half my son’s class is out with strep, he’s enjoying his field trip today and getting ready for a fun Halloween.
Geez, nobody here is talking about bathing in Triclosan every five minutes. We’re simply advocating not coughing or sneezing on your hands and touching other people & things, washing your hands frequently and using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when you need to wash your hands but can’t. This is basic hygiene, not germaphobia. Please tell me you all practice basic hygiene.
Nobody here is talking about walking into leper communities either, we are just not advocating that we run around screaming because someone coughed (cause unknown) into their hand.
Yeah, I think that is excessive and said as much in my first post to this thread. The OP asked if he should report it and everyone here said no (everyone? I’m not going to go back and read all the posts, but I don’t think anyone said he should report it to the administration).
What the main argument here seems to be is whether or not people should cough & sneeze into their elbows and wash their hands frequently, and whether or not it’s acceptable for someone to cough into their hand and then offer it to be shaken. Those of us who think it’s not okay to do that and who take measures such as frequent handwashing are being called germaphobes, being told that we’re not going to die from getting sick, told to stay in a “bubble” if we try to avoid getting sick, and are accused of running around screaming. Nice.
I agree, it isn’t very acceptable but it is hardly the end of the world.
My previous boss was a germaphobe and she was constantly talking about a newly discovered allergy, asthma problems, illness (or kids illness). The three years I worked for her, I never caught anything she or anybody else at work had. I don’t put all the blame on the fact that she used hand sanitizer every 20-30 mins, but I’d bet money it had something to do with it. Yes, she also told us she used a paper towel to open the door.
That is not the only person I know that did similar things mind you, just the most recent.
I am all for basic hygiene. BASIC should be emphasized though. This Swine flu craze is pretty silly, probably not as silly as the whole mosquito bug a few years back killing birds and horses or whatever. Washing your hands briefly under hot water with soap is always important. Washing them for 10 minutes with anti-bacterial soap and then using a towel to turn off the faucet and open the door is excessive. And IMO (and increasingly in the opinion of many health professionals), this activity is detrimental to overall health in the long run because it leaves us vulnerable.
Thank you everyone for your responses to this thread.
FYI, the title of the thread was not meant to convey fear, but rather just shock and disgust. My apologies for not titling it correctly.
Those who suggested I do not contact school administration about this, I think you are correct. There is no reason to blow this out of proportion. However, there is still a rather large Ick factor in seeing this guy cough a really juicy cough into this hands, then rub them together. I really don’t want his phlem and snot on my hands. Period.
Here is my viewpoint. This is the beginning of Flu season. I don’t want the flu, and I don’t want my family to get it. So I think that taking some basic precautions (Like coughing into your sleeve and washing your hands) to keep from contracting and spreading the flu is not unreasonable. I am not a germaphobe, but when there is a specific disease out there that I can avoid by taking some basic preventative steps, then I’m going to do them.
Also, I’d just like to point out that my wife and I weren’t rude about bee-lining it to the bathrooms after our meeting with him. We just left his room, found the bathrooms and washed our hands.
I am interested in some polite ways of avoiding a handshake should I experience this situation in the future.