Wash Your Hands!

One of the problems with being a teacher is that you catch a lot more colds (or worse). Eric Rasmusen passes some good advice:

Steve Sailer reports that Clinton and Bush both use hand sanitizer (such a Purell) to avoid getting colds after shaking hands at rallies, and that it works. We should think about doing the same.

A year ago, the Unknown Son underwent some treatment that involved a stem-cell transplant (he's doing fine now). As a result, his immune system was virtually nonexistent for several months, and even a small infection could have been life threatening. So, we washed our hands (or used Purell) constantly.

Even now when I give an exam there's invariably at least one student that's coughing, sniffling, and in general hawking up all over the paper. So, I leave the exams for a few days before grading. Once I get to them, I take great care to not touch my eyes, nose, or mouth before washing. It's a bit neurotic, but I don't think I had a cold all year. - which is pretty amazing when you consider the number of people I come in contact with each week.