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Cough Manners

Cover your cough. Stop the spread of germsthat can make you and others sick!Influenza (flu) and other serious respiratoryillnesses, like respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), whooping cough, and severe acuterespiratory syndrome (SARS), are spreadthrough cough, sneezing, or unclean hands.

ReferenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Cover Your Cough.Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htmUbokabularyo Poster. (2008). Produced by the College of DevelopmentCommunication, University of the Philippines Los Baños with assitancefrom USAID and DOH

To help stop the spread of germs:v Cover nose and mouth with tissue or handkerchief every time you

sneeze, cough, or blow your nose;v Throw away used tissue in the garbage can;v If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper

sleeve or elbow, not your hands;v Do not spit on the floors or any pavement;v You may be asked to put on a facemask to protect others;v Wash your hands often with soap and clean water for 20 secondsv If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand

rub.

A cough is a forceful release of air from the lungsthat can be heard. Coughing protects the respiratorysystem by cleaning it of irritants and secretions.

Environmental pollutants, such as cigarette smoke, dust, or smog,can also cause a cough. In the case of cigarette smokers, the nicotine present in the smoke paralyzes the hairs (cilia) that regularly flush mucus from the respiratory system. The mucus then builds up, forcing the body to remove it by coughing. Post-nasal drip, the irritating trickle of mucus from the nasal passages into the throat caused by allergies or sinusitis, can also result in a cough. Some chronic conditions, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and cystic fibrosis, are characterized in part by a cough. A condition in which stomach acid backs up into the esophagus(gastroesophageal reflux) can cause coughing, especially when a person is lying down. A cough can also be a side-effect of medications that are administered via an inhaler. It can also be a side-effect of beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, which are drugs used for treating high blood pressure.

Causes and symptomsIn the majority of cases, coughs are caused by respiratory infections, including:

v Colds or influenza, the most common causes of coughs;v Bronchitis, an inflammation mucous membranes of the

bronchial tubes;v Croup a viral inflammation of the larynx, wind pipe, and

bronchial passages that produces a bark-like cough in children;

v Whooping cough, a bacterial infection accompanied by the high-pitched cough for which it is named;

v Pneumonia, a potentially serious bacterial infection that produces discolored or bloody mucus;

v Tuberculosis, another serious bacterial infection that produces bloody sputum;

v Fungal infections, such as aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, and crytococcoses.

PreventionIt is important to identify and treat the underlying diseaseand origin of the cough. Avoiding smoking and direct contact with people experiencing cold or flu symptoms is recommended. Washing hands frequently during episode of upper-respiratory illnesses is advised. Parents should follow recommended vaccination schedules for pertussion (whooping cough) to help prevent the disease from occurring.

TreatmentTreatment of a cough generally involves addressing thecondition causing it. An acute infection such as pneumonia may require antibiotics, an asthma-induced cough may be treated with the use of bronchodialators, or an antihistamine maybe administered in the case of an allergy. Physicians prefer not to suppress a productive cough, since it aids the body in clearing the respiratory system of infective agents and irritants. However, cough medicines may be given if the patient cannot rest because of the cough or if the cough is not productive as is the case with most coughs associated with colds or flu. The two types of drugs used to treat coughs are antitussives and expectorants.