--- title: Flu Prevention: Why Are Adults Still Sneezing into Their Hands? description: Nothing quite gets under the skin like a young child pointing out the negative impact of your incandescent lightbulbs and idling car, but in the... canonical: https://time.com/archive/7132430/flu-prevention-why-are-adults-still-sneezing-into-their-hands/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-01-15T12:45:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-16T09:21:15.461Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Flu Prevention: Why Are Adults Still Sneezing Into Their Hands? og:description: Your average six-year old knows the proper way to prevent germs from spreading. So why won't adults get with the program? og:url: https://time.com/archive/7132430/flu-prevention-why-are-adults-still-sneezing-into-their-hands/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaac8c49ac7243aa5/698a917a9d83e8626fb9ffeb/sneez.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1500 og:image:height: 844 og:image:alt: The Flu og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Flu Prevention: Why Are Adults Still Sneezing Into Their Hands? twitter:description: Your average six-year old knows the proper way to prevent germs from spreading. So why won't adults get with the program? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaac8c49ac7243aa5/698a917a9d83e8626fb9ffeb/sneez.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) # Flu Prevention: Why Are Adults Still Sneezing into Their Hands? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0d7675a3-e105-48c0-8bca-643fa8373b73&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0d7675a3-e105-48c0-8bca-643fa8373b73&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=0d7675a3-e105-48c0-8bca-643fa8373b73&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0d7675a3-e105-48c0-8bca-643fa8373b73&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jan 15, 2013 12:45 PM UTC  Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) Jan 15, 2013 12:45 PM UTC Nothing quite gets under the skin like a young child pointing out the negative impact of your incandescent lightbulbs and idling car, but in the midst of a virulent flu season and the worst whooping-cough outbreak in [60 years](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/health/flu-widespread-leading-a-range-of-winters-ills.html?%5Fr=0), it’s worth listening to the righteous army of lilliputian surgeon generals. These tiny troopers are the advance guard against phlegm; they know how to stop germs in their tracks. Hand-sanitizer breaks are routine in elementary [schools](http://topics.time.com/schools/), and when there isn’t time to grab a Kleenex, children use a strategically placed elbow across the mouth instead. (**MORE:**[ Flu Cases Raise Public-Health Concerns](http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/11/rising-number-of-flu-cases-raise-public-health-concern/)) Walk into any pre-K or elementary classroom in the U.S. and you’ll be surprised to see that kids don’t cough or sneeze into their hands anymore. It’s simply not done, and it’s easy to see why. Coughing or sneezing directly into a hand that subsequently touches food, money or other people is clearly a recipe for contagion. The real wonder is that people failed for so many years to spot this simple truth. [A typical sneeze](http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/28/anatomy-of-a-sneeze/) can travel 100 m.p.h. and spew countless germs into the air. [One study](http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/336507/description/Germs%5Fpersistence%5FNothing%5Fto%5Fsneeze%5Fat) found that viruses can survive much longer on objects like dollar bills than originally thought, particularly when found in high concentrations like those from a single sneeze. The nation’s [health experts](http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm) have been recommending for years that people not sneeze or cough into their hands but cover their mouth or nose with a tissue instead (which they are advised to quickly dispose of and follow with 20 seconds of vigorous hand washing). Four years ago, Health and Human Services Secretary [Kathleen Sebelius](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2009/09/reporter-sneezes-the-wrong-way-in-front-of-secy-sebelius/) called out a reporter during a briefing to rebuke him for improper sneezing etiquette, demonstrating the proper technique with her elbow. [_Sesame Street_](http://www.sesamestreet.org/cms%5Fservices/services?action=download&uid=c12b7139-a29a-4b8d-a655-b7a2c93dd634)has taught millions of children the hygienic way to sneeze and cough. videoid=2096610208001 So why haven’t American adults been getting with the program? Boston is the center of medical excellence, with [more physicians](http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/blog/shortwhitecoat/2011/12/where%5Fare%5Fall%5Fthe%5Fdoctors.html) per capita in [Massachusetts](http://topics.time.com/massachusetts/) than in any other state and some of the world’s finest medical schools. Yet with a flu epidemic under way, adults can still be seen all over the city spraying their potentially contagious droplets on subway seats and restaurant menus. [Hospitals](http://topics.time.com/hospitals/) are beginning to require masks for people who show up sick to ERs. Seasonal flu kills thousands each year, [according](http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/us%5Fflu-related%5Fdeaths.htm) to the CDC, and leaves many hundreds of thousands more temporarily incapacitated and unable to work, yet adults who disregard the basics of virus prevention seem to have the hubris to believe they aren’t susceptible to illness and thus can’t harm others. (The flu vaccine, while highly recommended, is only 62% effective at reducing symptoms, [say](http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/11/flu-vaccine-is-62-effective-say-health-officials/?iid=hl-main-lead) health officials.) (**MORE:** [Have We Become Too Obsessed with “Energy”?](http://ideas.time.com/2013/01/11/have-we-become-too-obsessed-with-energ/?iid=op-main-lead)) Or they may simply be misinformed. As infant mortality dropped in the early part of the 20th century and childhood vaccines began to eliminate many life-threatening diseases, people grew increasingly cavalier about germs, and a whole culture of nursing care and commonsense prevention was lost. (How many people still wash their hands every single time they eat?) Parents have long refined the art of “Do as I say, not as I do,” but in this case it may be more than just routine hypocrisy. Is it simply too hard to teach an old dog new tricks? Kathleen Sebelius certainly has her work cut out for her, and we may very well need more public-service announcements targeting older adults. But if 5-year-olds can learn how to sneeze properly, surely we can expect their elders to master it too. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7132430/flu-prevention-why-are-adults-still-sneezing-into-their-hands/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/7132430/flu-prevention-why-are-adults-still-sneezing-into-their-hands/"},"headline":"Flu Prevention: Why Are Adults Still Sneezing into Their Hands?","datePublished":"2013-01-15T12:45:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-16T09:21:15.461Z","description":"Nothing quite gets under the skin like a young child pointing out the negative impact of your incandescent lightbulbs and idling car, but in the...","url":"https://time.com/archive/7132430/flu-prevention-why-are-adults-still-sneezing-into-their-hands/","keywords":["flu"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaac8c49ac7243aa5/698a917a9d83e8626fb9ffeb/sneez.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaac8c49ac7243aa5/698a917a9d83e8626fb9ffeb/sneez.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Flu","caption":"","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/7132430/flu-prevention-why-are-adults-still-sneezing-into-their-hands/","name":"Flu Prevention: Why Are Adults Still Sneezing into Their Hands?"}}]}] ```