If there is more than one person with CF in the same school or classroom, the recommendations below can help minimize the spread of germs between people with CF. These recommendations are based on recent research and have been reviewed by medical experts.

Minimize Time Spent in the Same Place

Minimize the time that two or more people with CF can spend in one place. A minimum 6-foot distance should be maintained at all times.

• Place people with CF in separate classrooms whenever possible.
• If they must be in the same classroom, but at different times, make sure the students are assigned separate desks or work stations as far away as possible (a minimum of 6 feet) from the assigned location of other students with CF.
• Assign separate bathrooms and drinking fountains for each student and staff member who has CF.
• Schedule the students with CF to be in other common gathering areas, such as the gym, at different times.
• Assign lunch tables, lockers, etc. for all students with CF to be as far away as possible from the assigned locations of other students with CF.
• Assign different locations for people with CF to go for their medications, or have the school nurse visit each student in their separate classrooms to administer the medications.
• Assign different places for each person with CF to go if he or she becomes ill while in school. For example, one student can go to the health office, another to the principal's office and a third to the counselor's office.
• If a student with CF is ill or needs to go to another room or office to get medications, the staff in that office should be notified prior to sending the student to the office to ensure that another person with CF is not present.

Everyone Should Wash Their Hands

Encourage everyone to wash or clean their hands. Germs can spread when people touch something with germs already on it, like a doorknob or desk, and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth.

• Make alcohol-based hand gel and or soap and water readily available for all students and staff to use in the classrooms.
• Everyone should clean their hands after coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose and after using common equipment like pencil sharpeners and lab equipment. This is especially important during the cold and flu season.

Everyone Should Cover Their Cough

Encourage everyone to cover their cough. Germs can remain in the air on tiny droplets -- ready to be breathed in. They can also remain on surfaces long after a person has coughed or sneezed on or near them.

• Make tissues readily available and encourage people to cough or sneeze into a tissue and throw it away immediately before washing or cleaning hands. If a tissue is not available, encourage everyone to cough or sneeze into their inner elbow.

Everyone Should Get Vaccinated

Encourage everyone to get vaccinated. Vaccinations help the body protect itself from germs, like the flu virus, which are especially dangerous for people with CF.

• For a list of what vaccinations to get and when to get them, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.