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Stopping the Spread of Germs at Home, Work & School

Get Vaccinated

The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. There are several flu vaccine options for the 2015-2016 flu season.

Good Health Habits

Avoid close contact.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.

Cover your mouth and nose.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. (Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.)

Clean your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

  • Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives
    Tips on hand washing and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers
  • It’s a SNAP Toolkit: Handwashing
    Handwashing resources from the It’s A SNAP program, aimed at preventing school absenteeism by promoting clean hands. From the School Network for Absenteeism Prevention, a collaborative project of the CDC, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the American Cleaning Institute.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Germs are often spread when a person touches a surface or object that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Stop the Spread of Germs

Healthy habits can protect everyone from getting germs or spreading germs at home, work, or school.

Clean and disinfect surfaces or objects.
Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects that may be contaminated with germs like the flu can help slow the spread of influenza.

At School

At Work

  • Flu Prevention at Work
    Learn more about how you can help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like flu at work

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