1. 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

2. 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)

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

9. 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)

10. 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)

11. 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)

12. Cold/Flu
Best Prevention:
Hand
Washing

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

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

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

16. 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!

17. 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!

18. 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!

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

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

21. 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