Most people do not concern themselves too much with the annual and normal spread of cold and flu viruses we are accustomed to in our modern society. <\/span><\/p>\n Unless it is a really bad year for the flu, the average person\u2019s anxiety<\/span> regarding the spread of disease between people is negligible,\u00a0<\/span>but for many years the common cold raised about as much fear in my family as the coronavirus or ebola does for most.<\/span><\/p>\n When I surveyed our global network of Hyper IgM patients about their level of anxiety<\/span> with the spread of COVID-19<\/a>, I found the results surprising. <\/span><\/p>\n Most parents, while somewhat worried, had been living in fear of all viruses for so long that their daily lives already had all the restrictions in place to deal with this new threat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve spent years avoiding all viruses \u2013 from the mildest common cold to the flu and other strains of coronavirus. Today, I will share my secrets with you.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are a few easy things you can do to protect yourselves and your loved ones during the coronavirus outbreak:<\/span><\/p>\n I cannot emphasize this enough. <\/span><\/p>\n The majority of illnesses are spread because of poor hand-washing hygiene.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to Columbia University Medical Center pediatrician Edith Bracho-Sanchez, hand-washing\u00a0can decrease transmission<\/a>\u00a0of viruses anywhere from 30 to 50%.<\/span><\/p>\n For most people, poor hand-washing has no effect, as one\u2019s immune system protects you on a daily basis. <\/span><\/p>\n In fact, many rightly believe it is good for kids and adults to be exposed to germs and viruses to train and strengthen their immune system. <\/span><\/p>\n Most people do not wash their hands properly or frequently enough.<\/span><\/p>\n For me though, it was the number one way to keep my kids safe. Personally, I have never observed another person wash their hands correctly after using a public restroom. <\/span><\/p>\n To find out the best way to wash your hands, check out this\u00a0<\/span>quick refresher from the World Health Organization here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Viruses and bacteria mostly do not make it past your body\u2019s first line of defense \u2014 the skin. <\/span><\/p>\n The skin that covers most of your body also does a great job of keeping it safe. <\/span><\/p>\n The main ways these pathogens make it in is actually through the gaps in the skin \u2014 eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. <\/span><\/p>\n This is why in their coronavirus prevention and treatment guidelines\u00a0<\/span>the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a> encourages people to avoid touching their face.<\/span><\/p>\n Most people who have a cold or the flu probably did not catch it from another person randomly coughing or sneezing directly into their faces (although to be fair, it does happen in NYC subways!). <\/span><\/p>\n They more likely got sick from touching a surface with cold and flu viruses and then touching their face. <\/span><\/p>\n In a 2015 observational study<\/a> of medical students at the University of New South Wales, researchers found that each of the 26 observed students touched their face 23 times an hour on average.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0I had to train myself to completely stop touching my face. It is one of the hardest things I have ever done, and impossible to achieve in totality. <\/span><\/p>\n But with a lot of work and self-control, I managed to significantly minimize how many times I touched my face unnecessarily. (Also, added benefit: no pimples!)<\/span><\/p>\n It is amazing how many of us just touch things for the sake of it. <\/span><\/p>\n Between countertops, subway poles, doorknobs, keyboards, phones, ATM machines, taxi doors and more, we are constantly touching surfaces that others (including people who have active viruses) have touched recently. <\/span><\/p>\n Germs can live on surfaces for days. Short of staying in one\u2019s home, there is no way of avoiding these surfaces altogether. <\/span><\/p>\n But being conscious and aware of these surfaces, minimizing touching of those surfaces, and hand washing or using hand sanitizer immediately afterward will help reduce the risk of picking up someone else\u2019s germs. <\/span><\/p>\n Also, don\u2019t get me started on handshakes and high-fives. <\/span><\/p>\n Just wave hello for goodness sake.<\/span><\/p>\n \t\n \n 1. Practice effective hand-washing.<\/span><\/h2>\n
2. Try not to touch your face.<\/span><\/h2>\n
3. Don\u2019t touch things you don\u2019t have to touch.<\/span><\/h2>\n
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