Germs They’re everywhere You never know when you pick them up They’re microscopic: So you can’t see them They’re hard to kill

100’s of viruses can cause a cold, but the biggest culprit is: Common Cold Caused by: 100’s of viruses can cause a cold, but the biggest culprit is: Rhinovirus Loves 91-95°F (the same temperature as the nose!) Modes of Transmission: Aerosol (a sneeze) Direct contact (from a surface or person-to-person contact)

Common Cold How long do I have? Within 15 minutes of entering your respiratory tract, the virus attaches to receptors and begins infecting you. Within 2 days you begin to feel sick: Runny nose Sore throat Coughing, sneezing Tired Headache Muscle aches Symptoms last 7-10 days

The Flu Influenza Virus Caused by: Modes of Transmission: Two main types Type A Type B Modes of Transmission: Droplets (a sneeze) Direct contact (from a surface or person-to-person contact)

The Flu How long do I have? Germs can be spread up to 6 feet away; Such as when someone sneezes, coughs, or even talks Within 1 day you begin to feel sick: Fever Sore throat Cough Tired Headache and body aches Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea Symptoms last 7-10 days You can begin to infect others 1 day BEFORE symptoms begin And for another 5-7 days AFTER becoming sick

Germs No one wants to shake hands with someone who just coughed or sneezed into their hand - However, when you touch other people or surfaces, you may be doing that exact thing

Germs Top Places for Germs Desk Bathroom Doorknob Remote Control Toys Keyboard Garbage Can Pens, Pencils, Crayons Phone

Germs Can live up to TWO hours on surfaces What have you touched in the past TWO hours?

Cold/Flu Impact Average adult = 2-3 colds/year Average child= 6-10 colds/year Resulting in: 25 million doctor visits 20 million absent work days 22 million absent school days (Heikkinen & Jarvinen, 2003)

Cold/Flu Impact One recent study of 3249 university students showed: 91% of students had at least 1 upper respiratory infection Days of class missed = 4,263 74.1% did poorly on test or assignment due to being sick (Nichol, D’Heilly, & Ehlinger, 2005)

Cold/Flu Impact Regionally, in Virginia: Nearly 1,200 Virginians hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of influenza Average length of hospital stay was 4.1 days Average charge was over $18,700 (Virginia Department of Health, 2014)

Cold/Flu Best Prevention: Hand Washing

Use Clean Running Water Handwashing Step 1: Wet Your Hands Use Clean Running Water

Rub Together Vigorously with Soap Handwashing Step 2: Lather Your Hands Rub Together Vigorously with Soap

Handwashing Scrub Hands Together Step 3: Between Your Fingers Under Your Nails Paw-to-Claw Wrists & Back of Hands

Use Clean Running Water But Don’t Turn Off the Water Yet! Handwashing Step 4: Rinse Your Hands Use Clean Running Water But Don’t Turn Off the Water Yet!

But Don’t Throw It Away Yet! Handwashing Step 5: Dry Your Hands Use a Clean Paper Towel But Don’t Throw It Away Yet!

Use the paper towel you just finished drying with! Handwashing Step 6: Turn Off the Water Use the paper towel you just finished drying with! GREAT JOB!: You just prevented contaminating your hands with the same germs you washed off!

Don’t Throw Away that Paper Towel Yet! Handwashing Step 7: Don’t Throw Away that Paper Towel Yet!

Use the paper towel to touch the bathroom doorknob Handwashing Step 7: Use the paper towel to touch the bathroom doorknob

NOW you can throw away that paper towel Handwashing Step 8: NOW you can throw away that paper towel GREAT JOB!: You just prevented contaminating your hands with the germs others left behind