Everyone knows about the disease – causing potential of germs. (A microorganism, such as a virus, bacterium or protozoan, some germs help the body produce vitamins, aid in digestion & enable the immune system to work efficiently. Other germs cause diseases. Germs, which can live on surfaces for minutes to days, can be transmitted through direct contact, such as sneezes & coughs, or indirect contact, including touching a contaminated doorknob.) Yet people just ignore it. Germs that promote disease can be deadly. Infectious diseases, such as pneumonia & septicemia (blood infection) R leading causes of death in the U.S. Food born germs have made headlines. Escherichia coli aka E. Coli, (a unicellular organism, a consistent inhabitant of the human intestinal tract, & it is the predominant facultative organism in the human GI tract; however, it makes up a very small portion of the total bacterial content. The anaerobic Bacteroides species in the bowel out# E. Coli by a minimum of 20:1. The regular presence of E. coli in the human intestine & feces has led to tracking the bacterium in nature as an indicator of fecal pollution & water contamination. As such, it is taken to mean that, wherever E. coli is found, there may be fecal contamination by intestinal parasites of humans.), related illnesses. A surprising # of people R still not aware of the best ways to guard against infection through proper hygiene. Here R some best ways to ward off infection:
1) Wash Ur hands several times a day – always before meals, after using the toilet, coughing, or sneezing, especially when using Ur hands or a tissue. Anytime using your hands in a public place, if soap & water is not available use alcohol gel containing at least 62% alcohol.
Use antibacterial products when necessary – Our hands pick up millions of potentially harmful organisms during daily activities – handling raw meats, poultry, & fish ….changing diapers, picking up pet wastes… U get the idea. Washing with soap & water removes (not killing) most germs. There R many discussions regarding regular use of antibacterial soaps; of the bacteria developing a resistance to it. Because triclosan has become so common in soaps and toiletries, be sure to carefully read all ingredients when buying these products. Triclosan is also known as Irgasan and Microban.
Check with your school to see if it uses triclosan-containing products in its classrooms and bathrooms. If you feel like you need antibacterial protection, there are some essential oils that have antimicrobial properties, such as Australian tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract, which are sometimes included in natural soaps. Alcohol-based antibacterial soaps, such as Purell, do not carry the same risks of antibiotic resistance and dioxin contamination as triclosan-containing products.
It’s not a good Idea for a pet to lick Ur mouth, nose, eyes or an open wound. Many people believe that the mouths of their pets R relatively germ – free – however these pets can carry Pasteurella, Pasteurella multocida is pathogenic for many animals, causing fowl cholera, blood poisoning in ruminants, pneumonia in young cattle, and respiratory infection in cattle and humans. It is also the cause of shipping fever, which commonly attacks animals under stress, as during shipping. In this disease, fever is followed by respiratory difficulty, which may lead to pneumonia and more severe symptoms. Treatment includes isolation, rest, and antibiotic therapy. P. haemolytica is a cause of sheep pneumonia. P. multocida and P. dagmatis are also often found in the mouths of healthy cats and dogs and can cause infection in bite wounds of those animals. (Pasteurella multocida Formerly known as Pasteurella septica. A small non-motile gram-negative coccobacillus that frequently causes disease in animals and birds. Human disease is usually from infection of a cat or dog bite or scratch, with localized swelling, abscesses, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, meningitis, and septicaemia. Pneumonia caused by Pasteurella multocida is known as Pasteurella multocida pneumonia.) Turtles, frogs & snakes can harbor Salmonella; Salmonella can cause three different kinds of illness: gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, and bacteremia. Symptoms of Salmonella gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting. In mild cases diarrhea may be non-bloody, occur several times per day, and not be very voluminous; in severe cases it may be frequent, bloody and/or mucoid, and of high volume. Fever generally occurs in the 100°F to 102°F (38°C to 39°C) range. Vomiting is less common than diarrhea. Headaches, myalgias (muscle pain), and arthralgias (joint pain) are often reported as well. Whereas the diarrhea typically lasts 24 to 72 hours, patients often report fatigue and other nonspecific symptoms lasting 7 days or longer.
2) Limit kissing to close friends & Family. Mouth to mouth kissing clearly spreads germs, but even face kissing can be dangerous if someone is ill. Flu viruses for Ex. Can be spread by an infected person.
Watch out for double dippers.
Double dipping can spread cold & flu viruses & other germs. A study performed by a professor of undergraduate students double – dipping in a bowl of chocolate syrup, cheese dip & salsa found that after 2 - 6 re-dips, the students had transferred 10,000 aerobic bacteria from their mouths to the dip bowl.
Source of reference: Bottomline Health Vol. 21 #2 Feb07, http://www.textbookofbacteriology.net/e.coli.html, http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/10-04/triclosan-article.htm, http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/3619.html, http://www.about-salmonella.com/salmonella_symptoms_risks,
