The Importance Of Germs

What is something that’s so small; it’s not always visible to the eye but can travel and be in places you wouldn’t even begin to think of? Don’t know the answer, I do, GERMS. Germs are everywhere. They can be in the air, in your food, on all surfaces, in the workplace, in your home and just about everywhere in between there. Germs are tiny microorganisms that can cause disease. They are four main types of germs which are bacteria, virus, fungi and protozoa. These organisms invade the body and can cause you to become ill. The number one thing to protect you against germs and spreading them is hand washing. A simple task such as washing your hand can kill a lot of germs on your hands and arms, which in return will decrease the spread of germs. You will learn how important hand washing is, how to wash your hands properly and alternatives to washing hands.

Maintaining clean hands is a major important step in preventing getting sick and spreading germs to others. Washing your hands can protect against infectious material ("Hospital ETool: Healthcare Wide Hazards - Infection" ). A lot of diseases and other illness are spread by not properly washing hands. Think of what you touch in a day. From the door knob, to your cell phone, to papers, to faucets, to other people hands and so on. We are constantly touching something. Then what do we do in between touching things, we touch our eyes, nose, and mouth without even acknowledging we do. Your eyes, nose, mouth, are ways germs can enter the body and make us sick. Germs can get into your food and drinks from people who prepare or consume them and their hands could be unwashed. Germs can travel and spread from hand to object, object to another hand such as on door knobs, handrails, tab...

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...erms on the hands which in return reduces that small percentage of germs from entering the body or being spread. Drawbacks of hand sanitizers include people thinking they can use hand sanitizer instead of hand washing which is not true. It should only be used if hands are visibly clean. Hand sanitizers are also highly flammable and should be used and stored with caution ("Hand Hygiene Guidelines") . It can be toxic if ingested and could also cause dry skin if over used.

In conclusion, you can see how important hand washing is, how to wash your hands properly and supplements to washing hands. This is a simple but yet least done task that can help decrease illness and prevent diseases. Hand washing is one method that is used universally. Whether in school, in the healthcare setting, in a factory setting or in your home, everyone everywhere should wash their hands.