Yuck: Few people correctly cover coughs, sneezes

[Darth Biscuit]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100712/ap_on_he_me/us_med_germy_habits

The good news is that about three of every four people tried to cover their cough or sneeze, in at least a token attempt to prevent germs from flying through the air.

The bad news is that most people — about two of three — used their hands to do it.

"When you cough into your hands, you cover your hand in virus," said study author Nick Wilson, an associate professor of public health at the Otago University campus in Wellington.

"Then you touch doorknobs, furniture and other things. And other people touch those and get viruses that way," he explained.

Health officials recommend that people sneeze into their elbow, in a move sometimes called 'the Dracula' for its resemblance to a vampire suddenly drawing up his cape. But only about 1 in 77 did that.

Odd that I should see this today... I'm standing in the check-out line at Walmart Sunday afternoon... and this weird guy (OK, not strange in Walmart) in front of us with the full neck-beard sneezes... and he does the old sneeze in the elbow trick... that's all well and good, except for the fact that he only gets his elbow up to within about six inches of his face so his sneeze basically goes all over everywhere.

I get the fact of people sneezing into their hands and touching doorknobs, etc., but I've never, EVER seen anyone who uses that elbow crap actually sneeze or cough INTO their elbow enough to catch the sneeze/cough. It's nasty...

I'd rather know that I need to wash my hands after being out in public touching doorknobs, etc. than have neck-beard weirdo sneezing out into the air I'm breathing.

[Hawk]

pics or STFU

[Darth Biscuit]

pics or STFU

neg rep

Edit: Wait, it just dawned on me... you want pics of the weird neck-beard guy? I knew it...