[Overview]
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Some Facts About Germs and Disease
-
Germs
are most often spread by hands through person-to-person contact.
- Germs can enter our bodies through the mouth, nose, eyes and breaks in the skin without our even
knowing we've been infected.
- Poor personal hygiene by foodhandlers is the second leading cause of foodborne illness.
- Americans spend about $5 billion each year on their colds _ about $3 billion on doctors'
visits and $2 billion on treatments.
- An estimated 60 million days of school and 50 million days of work are lost annually because of
the common cold.
- Some 5.5 million visits to doctors' offices each year are due to skin infections.
- Germs can be transferred from inanimate surfaces to hands and
vice-versa.
- Some germs can live on dry surfaces (such as toys) for several hours and moist surfaces (like
bathroom sinks) for up to three days.
- Salmonella can survive freezing and can survive on dry surfaces for at least
24 hours.
- The average kitchen dishcloth can contain 4 billion living germs.
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