Did you know that a recent study by researchers at the University of Arizona found that classrooms are some of the most germ-filled public places, and that being an elementary school teacher is the germiest office job one can have?
The bacteria and viruses that cause illnesses such as influenza, norovirus, and rotovirus have been found on many common items in an elementary-school classroom, including desktops, pencil sharpeners, and computers. Encourage your children to wash their hands frequently, especially before eating lunch or snacks, to decrease the chances of contracting an infection. According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Arizona, a teacher's desk averaged 17,800 bacteria per square inch.
A Nevada television station reporter tested two Las Vegas homes for various kinds of disease-causing bacteria, swabbing tile floors, carpeted areas, the soles of shoes, and even the family pet’s paws. The samples were taken to the Silver State Analytical Labs and scientists there found mold, fungus and coliform found in human and animal waste. To read the complete article, ...
As Midwest floodwaters recede and clean-up efforts get underway, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) offers advice to help reduce the risk of infection:Nothing beats hand hygiene – It’s critical to remember to practice basic hand hygiene during the emergency period. Always wash your hands with soap and warm water. If your local health authority has ...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a new fact sheet, “Control of Pandemic Flu Virus on Environmental Surfaces in Homes and Public Places,” which explains how cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in homes and public places can help to prevent the spread of pandemic influenza. How Flu Viruses Spread A flu pandemic is an outbreak of illness ...
Advice from a Saint LouisUniversity germ expert is music to the ears of those who dread the annual tradition of spring cleaning. Don’t go overboard, cautions Donna Duberg, assistant professor of clinical laboratory science at Saint LouisUniversity’s Doisy College of Health Sciences. “Ask yourself the question: How contaminated is my house?” Duberg says. “If it is just everyday dirt, then ...
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The recent outbreak of staph infections in schools throughout the country serves as an important reminder of the importance of routine, thorough cleaning and targeted disinfection of buildings where a large number of people constantly live, work or play. This includes schools, office buildings and hospitals. Also, because bacteria and viruses such as salmonella, E. coli, influenza ...
Bacteria and viruses are the microscopic organisms – otherwise known as germs -- that are responsible for causing and transmitting illness and disease. These microbes are so small, that according to the American Society for Microbiology, if the smallest of all microbes was the size of a baseball, an average bacterium would then be the size of the pitcher's mound, and just one of the millions of cells that make up your body would be the size of the ballpark!