Achoo — The New Fear!
Every time I hear someone sneeze these days I cringe. I immediately cover my nose and mouth with my hands or the inside of my shirt. I began frantically searching my purse for hand sanitizer, wipes, a tissue or anything I can find to ward off of the germs that are now flying about my entire personal space. I am silently screaming, “H1N1, H1N1 . . . Oh please, please I hope they covered their mouth!” But I know they didn’t because we can all tell the difference between a sneeze in a tissue and a sneeze that is wet and full of who knows what! What’s worse is when you are on the plane and the person behind you lets out a gigantic sneeze and you know it’s over! Those germs are not just flying over your head and into your space, but throughout the entire plane. Just prime for recycling right back into your nose and mouth at some point. What can you do?!? Absolutely nothing, just take it like a soldier. And yes, it would be ridiculous for you to sit the entire 4-hour flight with your hands over your face, wondering when it’s safe to bring them down. People will think you are crazy. So please do not do that. Well, maybe for like 10 minutes is okay. But what is our alternative? Painter’s masks? Has it really come down to having to wear a mask in public places? Apparently it has.
Since this whole H1N1 madness began, I always think back to the scene in the movie Outbreak, when the guy is in the theater and he sneezes, and they show how his sneeze spreads to everyone in the theater and goes up their nose. The mere thought of it makes me want to put on mask. I really need to start carrying trial size Lysol and start spraying as soon as I hear the sneeze. I think in addition to the H1N1 flu shot, they need to hand these out at every airport, train station, bus depot and movie theater. When someone sneezes, spray a Lysol bubble around you.
While I am being humorous in this blog piece, I am very serious. People I beg you – COVER YOUR MOUTH AND NOSE WHEN YOU SNEEZE!!! It is disgusting and harmful to the rest of us when you do not!! If you have no tissue, use the inside of your arm to sneeze into. It’s attached to your body, so it doesn’t cost you anything extra. Teach your children to do the same. They are a high-risk group for the H1N1 flu and their immune systems are still developing. Also, for whatever reason, babies and children have some powerful little germs! They will knock an adult off of their feet for week. Ask any parent or teacher.
I don’t think we realize how far a sneeze goes and what is coming out of our mouths when we do. So let me enlighten us all with this video on sneezing. I am sure we will all think twice, three times about covering our mouths and noses the next time we sneeze. Watch closely, it is in slow motion.
