Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
close window
Housecall Archives
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffInfectious agents can enter your body through:
- Skin contact
- Inhalation of airborne germs
- Ingestion of contaminated food or water
- Tick or mosquito bites
- Sexual contact
Follow these tips to decrease your risk of infecting yourself or others:
- Wash your hands. This is especially important before and after preparing food, before eating and after using the toilet.
- Get vaccinated. Immunization can drastically reduce your chances of contracting many diseases. Make sure to keep your recommended vaccinations, as well as your children's, up to date.
- Stay home. Don't go to work if you are vomiting, have diarrhea or are running a fever. Don't send your child to school if he or she has these signs and symptoms, either.
- Prepare food safely. Keep counters and other kitchen surfaces clean when preparing meals. In addition, promptly refrigerate leftovers — don't let cooked foods remain at room temperature for extended periods of time.
- Practice safe sex. Use condoms if you or your partner has a history of sexually transmitted diseases or high-risk behavior — or abstain altogether.
- Don't share personal items. Use your own toothbrush, comb and razor blade. Avoid sharing drinking glasses or dining utensils.
- Travel wisely. Don't fly when you're ill. With so many people confined to a small area, you may infect other passengers on the plane. And your trip won't be comfortable, either. Depending on where your travels take you, talk to your doctor about any special immunizations you may need.
References
- Understanding microbes in sickness and in health. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/microbes/PDF/microbesbook.pdf. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Facts about infectious diseases. Infectious Diseases Society of America. http://www.idsociety.org/factsaboutid.html. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Opal SM, et al. Host responses to infection. In: Cohen J, et al. Cohen and Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135757989-3/0/1209/7.html?tocnode=49351280&fromURL=7.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..50004-0_85. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Iacoviello VR, et al. Principles of anti-infective therapy. In: Cohen J, et al. Cohen and Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135757989-5/0/1209/535.html?tocnode=49356432&fromURL=535.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..X5001-6--section7_5237. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Steckelberg J (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 18, 2009.
- Routes of transmission. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's: Principles and practice of infectious diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/136228628-6/838936308/1259/99.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06643-4..50015-5--cesec23_433. Accessed May 8, 2009.
- Crowcroft N, et al. Prevention. In: Cohen J, et al. Cohen and Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135757989-5/0/1209/9.html?tocnode=49351308&fromURL=9.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..50005-2_113. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Johnson KS, et al. Lumbar puncture: Technique, indications, contraindications and complications in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 8, 2009.
- Chest X-ray (chest radiography). Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=chestrad. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- CT: Body. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- MRI of the head. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=headmri. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- An ounce of prevention keeps the germs away. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention/docs/oop_brochure_eng.pdf, Accessed May 13, 2009.
