Hand Washing & Germs

Do you wash your hands? “Cough, cough, cough! Achoo!”

You should! It's the best way to prevent the spread of germs. But germs can be tricky; they find nooks and crannies to hide in, so it takes good hand-washing technique to get rid of them.

Germs

Germs are tiny organisms, too small to be seen without a microscope. Not all germs make us sick, but many are the causes of a wide variety of common illnesses. For example, one type of germ, viruses, cause the flu and can also cause us to get a cold. Viruses need to be inside a human, animal, or plant to grow and multiply. Unlike viruses, bacteria, another type of germ, can live on their own. They're found in many different environments, but some prefer to live inside humans and these sometimes cause illnesses such as food poisoning or a really bad sore throat called strep throat.

Washing Hands

According to health professionals, carefully washing your hands for 20 seconds (that's about as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice) in warm water with soap will eliminate most germs and keep you healthier.

Watch a short video which shows you the correct way to wash your hands.