Archbold Medical Center| Archives Magazine | Winter 2014

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6 ARCHBOLD MEDICAL CENTER
I n
flu e n z a
C . D I F
F
V R E
M
R S A
Alcohol-rub or wash before and after every contact.
Clean hands—that’s our first order of business before
providing you with expert care. Our policy of hand
sanitizing before each patient contact ensures your safety
from germs that can spread in any health care setting.
WHEN YOU’RE SICK, you
certainly don’t wish your illness on any-
one else. Yet we all know that what goes
around comes around—especially colds.
And according to Elving Colon, MD,
that’s because cold viruses are notori-
ously contagious.
“A cough here, a sneeze there or an
innocent handshake could be all that it
takes for your cold to belong to some-
one else—perhaps the guy at the gro-
cery store, a co-worker or a loved one,”
Dr. Colon says.
So the next time you catch a cold,
Dr. Colon recommends you do some-
thing kind for friends and strangers alike:
Keep your cold at home. If possible,
stay home from work or school. While
you’re resting, you’ll also be reducing the
spread of germs.
Reach for a tissue. Remember to cover
your mouth and nose with a tissue each
time you cough or sneeze. No tissue
handy? Just cough or sneeze into your
elbow—not your hands. Some cold
germs can linger for hours on your hands
or the surfaces you touch.
Clean your hands often. Frequent
handwashing helps remove cold viruses.
For the best results, scrub your hands
with soapy water for about 20 seconds.
Be especially sure to do this right after
you cough, sneeze or blow your nose.
Don’t stand so close. Try to avoid, or
at least don’t get close to, other people
while you’re sick—especially anyone
with a health problem that could make
them vulnerable to complications from
a cold.
Don’t share. Consider putting out
separate hand towels in your bathroom
for those who aren’t sick.
Caught acold?
Sharing isnot agoodthing
Elving Colon, MD
Family Medicine Physician
Thomasville Family Medicine