1. What is the Big Deal about Germs?
By:
Denise, Lauren H., Lindsey, Kaley, and Shannon

2. What I can’t see can’t hurt me right?
Bacteria-size: one thousand bacteria are the size of one pencil eraser
Illnesses include - Strep Throat, Tuberculosis, Urinary Tract Infections
Viruses: are even smaller than cells
Illnesses include – The Common Cold, Influenza,
Measles, & Smallpox

3. Does washing our hands really matter?.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) claims that proper hand washing is the first defense against pandemics, the common cold, the flu, SARS, and many other illnesses.
80% of all infectious diseases are transmitted simply by touch.
More than 2 million deaths could be prevented each year
from improved hand hygiene.
Many absences in school due to illness can be prevented
by proper hand washing.

4. When should we wash our hands?
Before eating food
Before, during and after preparing food
Before, during and after caring for someone who is sick
Before and after treating a cut or wound
After using the toilet or cleaning up someone who has
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
After touching garbage

5. How do we wash our hands? Using warm water, wet hands.
Use soap and scrub hands, wrists, and under fingernails
for a minimum of seconds (can be measured by singing, “The ABCs” )
Rinse hands with your hands pointing downward
Use a disposable towel to dry your hands and turn off the water.
If running water is not available
hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes
(with a minimum of 60% alcohol)
are effective for killing most germs

6. Fun Fact
When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to earth, they were quarantined to prevent the spread of “Moon Germs”

7. References Hand-Washing Facts
Hygiene Facts
Germs: Understand and Protect Against Bacteria, Viruses and Infection
How to Avoid Germs Video
Wash Your Hands Video Clip from The Seinfeld TV Show

8. The Consequences are
If we don’t teach and re-enforce these sanitary practices now
then we could also be endangering our health in the future.

10. Journey of a Germ!