Is it appropriate to cough into your elbow joint?

Tacky, not particularly sanitary. Sort of like wiping your snot on your shirt sleeve or sneezing into your hand.

If I saw someone doing that, I’d wonder just how socially adjusted that person is.

That’s how I and pretty much everyone I know was taught to cover coughs and sneezes.

The idea is that you’re covering the cough/sneeze so that it doesn’t spread through the air as much, but using a part of your body that won’t come in contact with surfaces or other people (a hand is constantly coming into contact with surfaces and other people, and so can spread a lot of germs… an elbow joint? Not so much). Basically, it’s to reduce the spread of the germs from the cough/sneeze.

If you’ve got a napkin or tissue with you, then cough/sneeze into that. But if your options are to into the air, into your hand, or into your elbow, the elbow is the better choice of the three.

Unless things have changed since I was taught this. What’s the better alternative, @elbanditoroso?

@Soubresaut – I carry a handkerchief and I pull it out of my pocket and over my mouth when I’m about to cough.

If I can’t get there fast enough, into my hand.

But to my elbow? Never.

Look up dracula cough or dracula sneeze for more. This is how it’s taught in schools and hospitals.

Think of it this way, would you hold or use someone else’s handkerchief? Why not?

The cough into the elbow is preferred over coughing into the hand, because your hand gets extended and touches other things continually through the day.

This practice became common during the bird flu infestation. It was promoted by public health agencies to reduce the risk of an epidemic.

I did a Web search and found this. Apparently it is being taught in schools. It makes sense, but it looks strange.

Yes, I do it, and it is being taught in schools (saw a sign for it in an elementary school library that I was volunteering in recently). I never thought of it as weird. I do it sometimes when I’m at work because I touch keyboards and papers and that way nothing gets on my hands.

It looks weird? So what. If it helps to stem the spread of illness, then it’s the best way to deal with a cough or sneeze. This has been common practice for years.

Re-using a snot filled hanky, rather than a clean tissue, which is not always available, is just plain gross.

I sneeze into my shirt between the outer shirt and my under shirt. It seems like it’s better than into the elbow.

I would think if you are sitting or don’t have available facilities to wash your hands then why not your elbow. It prevents you from accidentally touching someone with your hands and spreading the germs that way.

I can’t believe this is new to anybody old enough to read. It has been taught for years as being more polite, and sanitary than coughing into one’s hand, or even not covering at all.
Handkerchief? Unless it is latex, most of the germs you expel are going right through to your hand.

It’s better than nothing. People just coughing wide mouthed piss me off. I know it’s involuntary, but put some effort into not spreading nastiness.

It is not tacky nor unsanitary. It is precisely the opposite of that.

This is the way we were taught to do it in nursing school and it has been recommended to all medical professionals since at least the early nineties.

Atomized spittle from a sneeze or cough can travel up to twelve feet (approx. 4 meters). This is a way to prevent that and thus prevent the spread of infection. It also does not transfer germs to your hand, which you will use on door handles, faucet handles and other places people will be touching after you. Some viruses, like certain influenzas, can live up to 24 hours on an inanimate surface at room temperature.

The elbow technique is a way to help stop the spread of infection.

I guess this is now a different situation.
@Espiritus_Corvus, I miss you so much, but I’m glad you are not here for covid. A heart attack is much more merciful than what you would endure if you caught this.
Time to feed the chickens, my friend. Don’t keep them waiting.

RIP Raven….

Peace n love….