Q. I am outraged when people refuse to take reasonable precautions like washing their hands after using the restroom. I was hospitalized with norovirus and I can tell you that the diarrhea was dreadful.
It makes me angry when a barista mashes down a coffee cup lid with the same hand he uses to take money. Germs do make us sick!
A. This is a surprisingly contentious issue. Many visitors to our website disagree with you. For example, Cindy says,
“All my life I’ve done nothing to avoid germs. I’m the type who’d take a paper coffee cup out of a public trash bin if I needed one and then drink out of it to my heart’s content. I never get sick.”
Despite this cavalier attitude, we agree with you. Colds, flu and norovirus can be spread from hand to mouth or nose.
Money and coffee cup lids should not be touched by the same hands. Hand washing should be second nature, as it is a simple but critical public health measure that can make a big difference.
