How to Protect Yourself from Infectious Diseases

Wash your hands. Proper hand hygiene is vital when it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Pathogens (such as viruses, bacteria and fungi) are easily transferred from contaminated surfaces to your skin and from there to your eyes and mouth where they can gain access to inside your body. Thus, washing your hands is one of the first steps to take to reduce the transfer of infectious agents.

Wash your hands every time after going to the bathroom, changing a diaper, sneezing or blowing your nose and when coming into contact with bodily fluids. Avoid touching your face, eyes, and nose. People tend to touch their face several times throughout the day. This is when the infectious agents in your hands gain access to your body. Where an intact skin does not allow transfer of pathogens into the body, the eyes and mucous membranes in the nose and mouth do allow this.

Besides maintaining a proper hand hygiene, try to avoid touching your face, even with clean hands.