Tips to Avoid Spreading Germs

Depending on the severity, being sick can be anything from a mild interruptions of daily life to a life-changing event. Aside from the physical pain and suffering, people become irritable and are generally less productive. The good news is that many illnesses are preventable. While we at Golden Triangle Emergency Center always go out of our way to help patients recover and receive top quality care, many people can avoid the need to visit us in the first place by modifying their lifestyles to help avoid infectious germs. Here are some of our top tips.

Keep Your Hands Clean

Washing your hands is one of the simplest ways to stop germs in their tracks. Don’t just run your fingers under the water. Lather your hands with soap for about twenty seconds. This is about the time it would take you to get through the alphabet song at a moderate pace. Don’t forget to clean under your nails and dry your hands with a clean towel. Many people visit GTEC complaining of abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea, all of which could be symptoms of bacteria-fueled ailments that may have been preventable.

So when should you wash your hands? The following are some prime times to reach for the soap:

• Before, during, and after food preparation
• Before eating
• After using the restroom
• Before and after dressing or treating open wounds or sores
• After sneezing or coughing
• After handling germ-laden materials like trash, animal waste, and other refuse
• After contact with frequently touched public surfaces
• Anytime you feel the need to

Use Your Sick Days

If you are sick, stay home! Your coworkers may not be crazy about picking up a little extra slack due to your absence, but they’ll likely prefer that to being out of commission themselves for a few days due to your eagerness to pitch in and share your germs. Aside from the fact that you may be contagious, your recovery may be inhibited by your choice to proceed with your active lifestyle instead of taking it easy and receiving medical attention. There are many work titles to be proud of, but Patient Zero is not one of them, and no one celebrates Bring Your Germs to Work Day.

Guard Your Germ Portals

Germs often enter and exit through the eyes, nose, and mouth. You can protect yourself by minimizing the amount of contact you make with your eyes, nose, and mouth. For the protection of others, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and be sure to instill this practice in your children.

It’s easy to innocently transfer germs from commonly used surfaces like doorknobs, handrails, countertops, or steering wheels by touching them and then the aforementioned orifices on your body or vise-versa. This may be particularly difficult to avoid for small children due to their habit of frequently putting their hands in their mouths or nose.

Keep Your Environment Clean

You can also help warrant off germs by keeping surfaces disinfected at your home and office. This way when children or others touch these surfaces, there are fewer types of bacteria present to introduce to their body. There are many disinfecting products available at your local grocery store that you should keep handy for purposes of keeping your home germ free. There are also portable products that you can take with you to disinfect public items, particularly if you travel frequently with small children with developing immune systems or with elderly adult or people with chronic health conditions who may also have compromised immune systems.

If all Else Fails…

Even with maximum preparation and care, it’s still possible to get sick. When these circumstances arise, you can seek help at the Golden Triangle Emergency Center. Remember Golden Triangle emergency Center is here for you every step of the way. If you experience symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or abdominal pain, visit GTEC for round the clock emergency medical services delivered by knowledgeable, local, friendly, and caring staff in our state of the art facilities.