Dirty, dangerous, and downright disgusting!

Covering your nose with a tissue is not enough to stop infection from a cough or sneeze from...
Covering your nose with a tissue is not enough to stop infection from a cough or sneeze from spreading. The mouth must be covered too. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
A survey finding that almost half of men under 35 admitted to sometimes blowing their noses by covering a nostril and blowing the mucus on to the ground was no surprise to Otago District Health Board infection prevention and control charge nurse manager Jo Stodart.

As soon as she tells anyone she meets what her job is, she is likely to be regaled with stories about such practices and people's disgust with them.

The March Colmar Brunton survey of 716 people in the general population about their sneezing behaviour and cold and flu hygiene included about 20 people from Dunedin.

It found that 48% of the men under 35 surveyed sometimes used the "free-blowing" method compared with 17% of the women in the same age group.

Mrs Stodart said, while in many circumstances other people would not come in contact with the mucus, on the rugby field it was possible, potentially exposing them to live viruses.

She suggested players should clear their noses before they started playing and also at half-time, if necessary.

It was a matter of being thoughtful and considerate of others.

The survey also showed 55% of all of the adults admitted sometimes sneezing into the air, exposing others in the immediate vicinity to live viruses.

If people had to sneeze and did not have a tissue handy, they should do it into their elbow, Mrs Stodart said. This also applied to coughing.

If people coughed into their hands they should wash them immediately.

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