What are germs and how are they spread?

There are germs all around us…on food, our hands, on our doorknobs. So, what are germs and are they good or bad? How do they spread and how can we stay well even though they are all around us? The two most common germs that we hear about are bacteria and viruses. On kidshealth.org, it says that,

“Bacteria (say: back-teer-ee-uh) are tiny, one-celled creatures that get nutrients from their environments in order to live. In some cases that environment is a human body. Bacteria can reproduce outside of the body or within the body as they cause infections. Some infections bacteria cause include sore throats (tonsillitis or strep throat), ear infections, cavities, and pneumonia (say: new-mo-nyuh).

But not all bacteria are bad. Some bacteria are good for our bodies — they help keep things in balance. Good bacteria live in our intestines and help us use the nutrients in the food we eat and make waste from what's left over. We couldn't make the most of a healthy meal without these important helper germs! Some bacteria are also used by scientists in labs to produce medicines and vaccines (say: vak-seens).”

“Viruses (say: vy-rus-iz) need to be inside living cells to grow and reproduce. Most viruses can't survive very long if they're not inside a living thing like a plant, animal, or person. Whatever a virus lives in is called its host. When viruses get inside people's bodies, they can spread and make people sick. Viruses cause chickenpox, measles, flu, and many other diseases. Because some viruses can live for a while on something like a doorknob or countertop, be sure to wash your hands regularly!”

We learn that bacteria are not all bad and that we need bacteria to keep our bodies regulated properly. When we come in contact with bacteria and viruses that are bad, it is most commonly spread from our hands. Think of all the things that you touch every day…the faucet, the doorknob, the counter, food, the toilet, people, car keys, phone, remote controls, keyboards. I could go on and on. Every time we touch things, we are spreading bacteria. This is why we hear all the time that washing our hands is the key! Washing our hands is really what will help us stay more healthy and keep us from spreading bad germs.

*After you sneeze or cough, wash your hands.

*Use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.

When kids are young, as parents we don't always think about washing their hands. They crawl on the floor and are constantly touching things and exploring and then they use their hands to put things in their mouths. This could be part of the cause of so much infection and illnesses in our kids. It is important for us to remember that their hands need to be washed just as much if not more than ours! It is better to use soap and warm water on our little kids instead of hand sanitizer because you don't want them to get the sanitizer in their mouths. However, there is hand sanitizer made just for small children at the grocery stores in the baby isle if you want to have some of that for on-the-go!

Reference:
Kidshealth.org. (2013). What are germs?. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/sick/germs.html