Sick Season

Fall is here and that means one thing, SICKNESS. Here are some tips to avoid getting sick. 

• Become a clean freak. Wash your hands or slap on some sanitizer as often as you can.
  
• Restrict your air space. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says thedroplets in sneezes and coughs can travel 3 to 6 feet. 
• Step away from hackers so you don't inhale their bugs.
• Bundle up. You can't catch a cold from cold weather, but feeling chilly may dampen your immunity.
  
• Get vaccinated. You'll reduce your risk of infection as much as 80%.
  
• Don't touch your face. Most viruses gain entry to your body through your nose, eyes and mouth.
  
• Bring your own pen. Avoid using any pen handed to you at a store.
  
• Put on your sneakers. That quick walk in the park will increase circulation of your immune cells, improving their ability to detect and fight infection.
  

And get this -- your desk is probably dirtier than the office bathroom, says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizonaat Tucson. Toilet seats are usually the cleanest objects in an office because they get cleaned nightly.

The worst offenders:

• Telephone
  
• Desktop
  
• Computer mouse
  
• Keyboard
  
• Copy machine
  
• Fax machine
  
• Water fountain
  
• Kitchenette sponge