1  | 

I found this helpful Thank You! Your vote will be tallied soon!

Cover your mouth! is a phrase we've all heard from our parents forever.

I distinctly remember meeting a friend at a playground a few years ago and seeing her tell her coughing daughter the same thing. To my amazement, her daughter obeyed by covering her mouth with the inside of her elbow. Huh?

I thought about it for a second and then it hit me: when we cough on our hands, we might prevent the spray of nasty germs, but we then spread the same germs around when we touch other people or things. It's better to cough on fabric away from our hands.  Why hadn't I ever thought of this before?

I recently found this video via the Los Angeles Public Health site. It's a little long, but it's still funny and gets the point across.

Spread the word (not the germs) about covering coughs with your elbow or shoulder.

If we all do it, then my daughters won't look so weird when they're doing it. Help us out.