Cough etiquette prevents spread
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Hyderabad: Coughs and colds are common during the monsoon season, but what one could call “cough etiquette” could prevent the spread of these illnesses.
Droplets from coughing spread the bacteria to others, so covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, preferably with a handkerchief, helps to contain the infection. If you have to use your hand to cover your mouth, avoid shaking hands with anyone, touching door knobs or computer keys without washing. And handkerchiefs should not be left lying around. The bacteria in the droplets stay for hours together and transmit easily.
“Wash your hands with soap when you cough and use them only after that,” says Dr K. Subhakar, professor of pulmonary medicine at Osmania Medical College and AP Chest Hospital. This is the simple rule to follow, he says.
Pens and notepads onto which you may have coughed are also mediums for the spread of bacteria. Bacteria can be dispersed by air and wind, but in closed spaces like offices or schools the circulation of germs is higher which makes everyone vulnerable, he says.
Ideally, if you have a cough, you should rest for five days till the cough subsides. It is best precaution to prevent transmission. But because of our increasing dependency on medicines and its promise of a fast cure, and our harried lifestyles, no one is willing to remain confined to the home for a few days.
Viruses like the influenza virus often develop re-sistance to known medicines. This occurs when we overmedicate oursel-ves, a worrying trend in India. “A lot of people depend on self-prescription,” rued Dr K. Srini-vas, a general physician.
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