Sleeve Face

"First you put your hands in the water. Then you get the soap. Then you go like this... then like this... then you turn off the water and dry your hands. THAT's how you wash them, Daddy!"

Yes, I recently got a lesson in hygiene from a four-year-old boy. School and Daycare teach him well. In fact, I recently noticed he even coughs in his sleeve, just like our ads for the Public Health Agency of Canada tell people to do:



When I was riding the bus this morning, I saw two different people do it. I call it "sleeve face", after the awesome Internet visual gag movement that we Acartians like so much, we made it into the book.

Even though the mainstream media are reporting that swine flu is on the wane at "ground zero" in Mexico, and the public breathes an unmasked sigh of relief, the virus continues to spread worldwide. This means increased likelihood of mutation and resurgence in the fall. Our work in infection control social marketing may be far from done.

I'm just happy to see people be more aware of the little things they can do to protect themselves, like washing hands, coughing and sneezing with care, and most of all keeping their fingers out of their mouths. (If I never see someone turn the pages of a book with spittle-moistened fingers again, that will be enough!)

Take care.