Infectious Disease Prevention

• Blood and Body Fluid Precautions

  What are blood and body fluid precautions? Blood and body fluid precautions are recommendations designed to prevent the transmission of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and other diseases while giving first aid or other health care that includes contact with body fluids or blood. These...

• Making It Easier to Wear a Mask During COVID-19

  Learn how to overcome barriers to wearing a mask.

• COVID-19: How to Wear a Cloth Face Cover or a Mask

  Learn how to wear a cloth face cover or a mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

• Food Poisoning and Safe Food Handling

  Is this topic for you? This topic is about many different types of food poisoning. You can also see the topics E. Coli Infection and Toxoplasmosis During Pregnancy. What is food poisoning? Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating foods that have harmful organisms in them. These harmful germs can...

• Food Safety: Preparing

  Wash your hands often and prepare foods properly to reduce the risk of food poisoning . How to wash your hands The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following steps for hand-washing: Wash your hands with running water, and apply soap. Rub your hands together to make a lather. Scrub...

• Food Safety: Tips for Grocery Shopping

  There are things you can do while shopping to help prevent food poisoning. Put raw meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and shellfish in separate bags, and do not mix them with other food items. Do not buy meat or poultry that has a tear in the package or is leaking. Pick up your refrigerated and frozen items at the end of...

• Food Safety: Cooking

  It is important to cook foods at a safe temperature to avoid food poisoning. The following picture shows you safe temperatures for a number of foods. Adapted from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (2011). Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures. Available online...

• Food Safety: Following the Package Instructions

  Food packaging labels provide information about when to use the food and how to store it. Reading food labels and following safety instructions will greatly reduce your chance of becoming ill with food poisoning. The following guidelines are included on a packaging label. Sell by: This tells the store...

• Food Safety: Serving

  You can help prevent food poisoning by taking precautions when serving food. Keep hot foods hot [ 140 F (60 C) or above] and cold foods cold [ 40 F (4 C) or below]. Never leave meat, poultry, eggs, fish, or shellfish (raw or cooked) at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If the temperature outdoors is...

• COVID-19: 5 Steps to Washing Your Hands

  Learn the 5 steps to hand-washing.

• Caregiving: Reducing Germs and Infection in the Home

  Germs and infection can spread easily in the home. This may happen when items around the house become soiled or when you come into contact with body fluids, such as blood or urine. A person's cough or sneeze can spread germs too. Washing your hands often can help you keep germs and infection from spreading...

• Avoiding Infections in the Hospital

  Learn how to prevent the spread of germs and avoid infections in the hospital.

• Poison Ivy, Oak, or Sumac: What to Do First

  Learn how to wash so you won't spread the rash.

• Hand-Washing

  Hand-washing is more than just running water over your hands. Washing your hands with soap and water is the best way to prevent the spread of infections. It helps prevent diseases, such as colds, flu, and food poisoning. It's easy, it doesn't cost much, and it works. Wash your hands: Often, especially during cold and...

• Going Out While Staying In

  Learn some new tips for having date night at home during the pandemic.

• Drinking More During the Pandemic?

  This topic helps readers assess whether they may have a drinking problem.