October 3, 2014

8 Defense Tips to Prevent Ebola & Other Diseases

Don’t be a victim of invisible killers like Ebola. Take these steps to protect against infection.

Will Dabbs, MD

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Photo by Angelsharum / WikiMedia Commons

1. Wash Your Hands
This seemingly mundane chore is your first line of defense against most diseases. Standard soap is sufficient to kill the vast majority of the germs waiting to pounce on you.

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2. Don’t Touch Your Face
Everybody has an itchy nose now and then. Discipline yourself to scratch your chin or nose with your forearm rather than your fingers.

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3. Cough Into Your Elbow
I know your mother told you to cover your face with your hand when you cough, but that puts a liberal coating of germs on your hand. These pathogens can then pass via handshakes, doorknobs and grocery baskets to most anybody. Coughing into your elbow looks a little weird but will go a long way towards protecting your friends, family and acquaintances from anything you might have.

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Photo by Diego Cupolo / WikiMedia Commons

4. Wear a Surgical Mask in High-Risk Areas
Yes, it does look weird. However, if we ever find ourselves subject to Spanish Flu 2.0, that mask might save your life. While the mask is marginally effective at filtering airborne pathogens, its real strength is that it keeps you from touching your own face. Most respiratory diseases spread due to facial touching.

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Photo by chensiyuan / WikiMedia Commons

5. Avoid Crowds
The media will alert you to serious threats. Keep a little shelf-stable food and water at the house so you have the option of staying home for a few days in the event of some new, modern plague.

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Photo by Rene Ehrhardt / WikiMedia Commons

6. Avoid Air Travel During Periods of Epidemic Disease
There is no better way to spread an illness than to shove 200 people into a sealed metal container and let them swap air for a couple of hours. A surgical mask is helpful if you must travel.

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7. Get a Flu Shot
The flu shot is unique each year and is targeted against the strains suspected of being most prevalent in a given season. Some years it works better than others but the risks are statistically trivial, and not catching the flu is infinitely better than treating the flu.

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8. Stay Home When You Are Sick.
Do the world a favor and keep your pestilence to yourself. This is not the time to man up and go to work when you might have a communicable illness.