Health Education

Health educators are available to develop and present programming for various community groups on a variety of topics. The health education division may also be able to provide educational materials, resources, and referrals upon request. For more information, please contact us...

Office hours: Monday thru Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Phone: (910) 947-3300

Education Spotlight - February, 2010

Help Keep Others From Getting Sick!...Cover Your Cough!

In the wake of the recent H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak, prevention has become a hot topic.  Last month, we showed you that hand washing was one of the the most effective habits you could practice to keep yourself from getting sick.  Keeping with the theme of ways you can stop the spread of illness, this month we talk about covering your cough.  The combination of hand washing and covering your cough could be the most potent one-two punch in the fight against the flu this year!

How Coughing and Sneezing Spreads Illness

One of the main ways that illnesses are spread is in the respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.  This is called "droplet spread".  When you cough or sneeze, you can send millions of tiny droplets (so tiny they can't be seen by the naked eye) out into the air.  These droplets can contain germs/viruses and once they land on the surfaces around you, they can live up to 2 hours or longer!  Spreading occurs once someone else touches the contaminated surface.  If the victim isn't a good hand washer, chances are that they will end up touching their faces, eyes, nose, or mouth at some point and inadvertently infect themselves   

Cover Your Cough Correctly

To help stop the spread of germs...

-- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.

-- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

-- Put your used tissue in the waste basket.

Clean your hands after coughing or sneezing...

-- Wash with soap and water. 

-- Or, if soap and water isn't available, clean with an alcohol based hand cleaner.

Spread the Message...Not the Germs!!!

Cover Your Cough Flyer - For healthcare settings

Cover Your Cough Flyer - For community and public settings