Encourage Me: Everywhere

“Wash your hands, and say your prayers because Jesus and germs are everywhere.” (Anonymous)

Germs are tiny organisms that can cause infection. They are invisible to the human eye and exist everywhere (including in the air, soil and water, and on food, plants and animals). Different germs have favorite places they like to live, different ways to spread, and their own unique ways of causing infections. All germs have one thing in common: When they find a place that is good for them to live, they set up a home for themselves and multiply. There are five main types of germs.

Bacteria are tiny, single-celled organisms that get nutrients from their environments. Some bacteria are good for our bodies. They help keep the digestive system in working order and keep harmful bacteria from moving in.

Some bacteria are used to make medicines and vaccines. Bacteria can cause trouble as with cavities, urinary tract infections, ear infections, or strep throat. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections.

Fungi are multi-celled, plant-like organisms. A fungus gets nutrition from plants, food, and animals in damp, warm environments. Many fungal infections, such as athlete's foot and yeast infections, are not dangerous in a healthy person. People with weak immune systems (from diseases like HIV or cancer), though, may get more serious fungal infections.

Protozoa are one-celled organisms like bacteria. They are bigger than bacteria and contain a nucleus and other cell structures making them more like plant and animal cells. Protozoa love moisture. So intestinal infections and other diseases they cause (like amebiasis and giardiasis) often spread through contaminated water.

Some protozoa are parasites. This means they need to live on or in another organism (like an animal or plant) to survive. For example, the protozoon that causes malaria grows inside red blood cells, eventually destroying them. Some protozoa are encapsulated in cysts, which help them live outside the human body and in harsh environments for long periods of time.

Viruses are even smaller than bacteria. They aren't even a full cell. They are simply genetic material (DNA or RNA) packaged inside of a protein coating. They need to use another cell's structures to reproduce. This means they can't survive unless they're living inside something else. Viruses can only live for a very short time outside other living cells. For example, viruses in infected body fluids left on surfaces like a doorknob or toilet seat can live there for a short time.

They'll die quickly unless a live host comes along. When they've moved into someone's body, though, viruses spread easily and can make a person sick. Viruses cause minor sicknesses like colds, common illnesses like the flu, and very serious diseases like smallpox or HIV/AIDS. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Antiviral medicines have been developed against a small, select group of viruses.

Five common ways germs are spread:

Animals to people: Wash your hands after petting animals or touching any surfaces they come into contact with.

Food to hands to food: Germs are transmitted from raw foods such as chicken to hands while preparing a meal. The germs on the hands are then transferred to other uncooked foods such as salad. Cooking the raw food kills the initial germs, but the salad remains contaminated.

Hands to food: Usually germs are transmitted from unclean hands to food by an infected food preparer who didn’t wash their hands after using the toilet. The germs are then passed to those who eat the food. This is easily prevented by always washing hands after using the toilet and before preparing food items.

Infected child’s hands to other children: Germs are passed from a child with diarrhea to the hands of the parent during diaper changing. If the parent doesn’t immediately wash their hands, the germs that cause diarrhea are then passed to others.

Nose, mouth, or eyes to hands to others: Germs can spread to the hands by sneezing, coughing, or rubbing the eyes and then can be transferred to other family members or friends. Simply washing your hands can help prevent such illnesses as the common cold or eye infections.

“A single mouth can be home to more than 6 billion bacteria. [This is] an impressive number when compared to 7.3 billion total human population of earth.” (DentalPlans.com)[i]

[i] Adapted from:

· “5 Common Ways Germs are Spread” by Minnesota Dept. of Health

· “Germs: Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, and Protozoa” by KidsHealth

· “What Are Germs?” by the CF Foundation