Coughs and sneezes spread diseases

"Coughs and sneezes spread diseases" was a slogan first used in the United States during the 1918–20 influenza pandemic – later used in the Second World War by Ministries of Health in Commonwealth countries – to encourage good public hygiene to halt the spread of the common cold, influenza and other respiratory illnesses.

1918 campaign on the dangers of Spanish flu
Ministry of Health poster used during the Second World War, designed by H. M. Bateman.

Origins

The slogan was first used in the United States during the 1918–20 influenza pandemic ("Spanish flu").[1]

Second World War

It was later promoted by the United Kingdom's (and New Zealand's)[2] Ministry of Health in 1942 to encourage good public hygiene and prevent the spread of the common cold, influenza and other respiratory illnesses.[3] Critics have said that the slogan, alongside "Keep Britain Tidy", were an example of "postwar Britain's nanny state".[4]

Posters were designed by British cartoonist H. M. Bateman and advised people to "trap the germs by using your handkerchief". The original posters of these were published during the Second World War and showed people in the workplace, on the street and on public transport sneezing without covering their nose or mouth, spreading their respiratory droplets. The National Archives notes that these posters were created in an attempt to prevent wartime work absenteeism because of illness.[5]

Later revivals

The slogan was later used intermittently by the National Health Service (NHS) following its establishment in 1948, as well as public officials, in the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009[5] and the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still continuing as of 2020.[6] The phrase was also used by the European branch of the World Health Organization in 2019 in a video on influenza.[7] It was combined with washing the hands.[8][9][10] More recent campaigns by the NHS (such as "Catch it, Bin it, Kill it") promote hand washing and the use of disposable paper handkerchiefs, or at least coughing or sneezing into one's elbow, rather than covering the mouth with a hand, so as to keep the hands uncontaminated.[11]

References
  1. "Uncle Sam's advice on flu". The Diamond Drill. 5 October 1918. p. 13. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  2. "The Modern Antiseptic". New Zealand Nursing Journal. 35–36: 79. 1942.
  3. Smallman-Raynor, Matthew; Cliff, Andrew (2012). Atlas of Epidemic Britain: A Twentieth Century Picture. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-19-957292-2.
  4. Franks, Matthew (2017). "From Public Library Prankster to Playwright: Joe Orton and Postwar Britain's Nanny State". Book History. Johns Hopkins University Press. 20: 394. doi:10.1353/bh.2017.0014. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. Prentice, E (January 2009). "Coughs and sneezes — 'Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Trap the germs in your handkerchief'". Southern African Journal of Epidemiology and Infection. 24 (4): 54. doi:10.1080/10158782.2009.11441366. ISSN 1015-8782.
  6. Cleary, Emily (2 March 2020). "Jacob Rees-Mogg advises public to 'wash your hands to the national anthem' to avoid coronavirus". Yahoo! News UK. Retrieved 24 March 2020. When asked by reporters whether the government has the spread of the virus under control, Rees-Mogg replied: 'Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, keep it in your handkerchief.'
  7. "Video – Coughs and sneezes spread diseases". World Health Organization. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  8. "Final call for Propaganda: Power and Persuasion at the British Library". The Spectator. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  9. Lambert, Gemma (28 February 2020). "Infection: is it a question of control?". Guidelines in Practice. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. "Can handwashing with soap prevent transmission of SARS as well as diarrhoea?". London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  11. Buckingham, Lisa (6 March 2020). "9 ways to protect yourself from Coronavirus". Good Housekeeping.
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