This section will answer the following questions:
- What are germs?
- How do they spread?
- How do I know where these germs are?
What are germs?
Germs are tiny organisms, which you can’t see, but can cause infection and disease.
There are different types of germs
- viruses (e.g. colds, flu, COVID-19)
- bacteria (e.g. bacterial gastroenteritis such as salmonella, which is a type of food poisoning)
- parasites (e.g. giardia – can occur after drinking contaminated water)
- fungi (e.g. ringworm or tinea, or thrush)
But… ALL germs can be removed to safe levels with effective cleaning and disinfection.
How do germs spread?
Germs can be spread through two types of contact
- Direct contact – touch (shaking hands, a hug, a kiss)
- Indirect contact – touching surfaces (germs from hands touch surfaces like tables and pens)
Following that contact germs then need to enter the body to cause infection e.g. via a break in your skin or by touching mucous membranes such as your eyes or mouth.