Our immune system successfully fights some of them. It is better to take care of it in advance, and not when someone has already sneezed at you: healthy eating, regular physical activity and a good sleep play an important role.
Returning home, be sure to wash your hands and face with soap. Then you should rely on your immunity.
Viruses have different contagiousness, namely, the ability to cause disease in all or only part of the population.
Is the infection always transmitted by sneezing
When sneezing and coughing, a person with an ARVI secretes many viruses into the environment. However, these viruses are unstable and die pretty quickly (especially on the street). In a room where it is warm and humid, they will live longer. Contrary to popular belief, more often the infection is transmitted not through sneezing, but through the hands. Why it happens?
A simple example: children are taught to cover their mouth with a hand when coughing or sneezing so as not to infect anyone. However, what happens afterwards? A child takes toys or dishes with these hands, another child will take them, and then he, like all children, will send his hands to his mouth. So the transmission of the virus will occur.
In addition, not every sneezing and coughing person is contagious. With ARVI, symptoms can persist for up to 14 days, but this does not mean that you need to spend two weeks at home. The maximum amount of virus is excreted in the first days of the disease, and after three to five days the patient is no longer dangerous to others.
How to sneeze and cough
That’s right – to cover your nose and mouth, but not with the palm of your hand, as many are used to, but with your elbow. Even better – with a disposable napkin. So you prevent the transmission of infection to other people through the handrails in the subway, handsets, dishes and the like. It is important when sneezing not to pinch your nostrils and not to blow your nose with all your strength, otherwise your ears will be blocked.
Another bad habit is to restrain sneezing. This is an unconditioned reflex aimed at cleansing the nasal cavity. With SARS, the mucosa is irritated, a person sneezes more often than usual. Yes, and it can be annoying, but it’s easier for a person to breathe.
If you need to go down the subway in the midst of a cold, you can save others and put on a mask. But you need to change it every 15 minutes, otherwise it will become ineffective. Be prepared for the fact that breathing through the mask will not be easy for you. And yes, it will not protect you from someone else’s infection.
What else can be done to not infect anyone and not to infect yourself
The basic hygiene rules in the ARVI season are clean hands and face. You need to wash your hands not only after the metro, visiting the toilet, blowing your nose and before eating, but as often as possible. Necessarily with soap, at least 20 seconds. Rinse thoroughly between the fingers and under the nails. In order not to wash your hands with a stopwatch, you can sing the happy birthday tune twice to yourself. You also need to touch your face with your hands as rarely as possible.
The processing of frequently used items with napkins with disinfectant is also important. The dirtiest thing is our mobile phone, in second place are the door handles, followed by computer mice and a keyboard.
In addition, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the mucous membrane of the nose and mouth. The house should be cool (about 17 degrees) and humid (40%). In this mode, the protective function of the mucosa works at 100%.
– Folk remedies like garlic and tea tree oil will not help in the fight against viruses.
