Would you believe it if anyone told you that you were
responsible for spreading germs? Most likely not, but if you have been doing
so, it is an inadvertent mistake. Wily germs pass from people to people in the
most innocuous ways. Knowing how germs spread can help you break the
cycle of transmission.
This is how germs spread:
1 From hands to
yourself: If your hands harbour infectious germs, they have the potential
to enter your system in a fair few ways. The most common way of germ
transmission is touching your face with unclean hands. Germs can enter your
body on contact with your eyes, nose or mouth. This is how most infectious
germs that cause gastric upsets, or cough, cold and flu are passed on from the
environment to you.
2 From hands to
surfaces: Just like unclean surfaces can make your hands dirty, so can
dirty hands infect clean surfaces. An infected surface can transfer the germs
to others. Surfaces can also get dirty when someone coughs or sneezes nearby,
or leaves used tissues lying around, or does not wipe up spilled food or drinks
immediately. Unclean surfaces such as elevator buttons, handrails, telephone
buttons, computer keyboards, door knobs, faucets etc. can spread germs to hands
touching them.
3 From persons to
your hands: Some people are guilty of spreading germs through sheer
carelessness. They may cough or sneeze without covering their faces. Or they
may sneeze into tissues and leave them lying about instead of disposing them in
the trash. At other times, some people who are ill with infectious diseases
like flu, chicken pox, conjunctivitis and cold may show up for work or attend
school. Being in close contact with sick persons dramatically increases the
chances of contracting the infection.
4 From hands to food:
You may forget to wash your hands after eating or going to the restroom. Or you
may handle a sick baby’s diaper and not wash your hands thereafter. Imagine if
your hands are rife with germs, and you start cooking food. The germs are
transferred from your hands to plates, spoons and raw food. Eating food
contaminated with your germs, or germs picked up from unclean chopping boards
or cutlery, can cause digestive disorders and allergies.
5 From pets to people:
Playing with your pet gives you immense joy. But pets pick up fleas, ticks and
dirt in their fur. They might go out and roll about in the mud, or suffer from
a skin rash, or even eat something that makes them fall sick. Handling your pet
is important, but exercising caution is even more vital. If you forget to wash
your hands with soap after playing or cleaning your pet, your hands can carry
and transfer germs to other surfaces and people.
Now that you know how germs spread, you can keep
yourself and your loved ones safe by maintaining good hand and home hygiene.
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