-
Asked by 635anta39 to Ceri, Marikka, Matt, Rob, Sally on 10 Nov 2014.
-
Robert Hampson answered on 10 Nov 2014:
It depends on the germs!
Stomach bugs are often spread from infected food (e.g. food poisoning) and can also be spread by infected people who may have the germs around their mouth, nose and other areas, passing it to their hands and then leaving them on things like door knobs.
Colds and flu are often spread through the air. A sneeze or cough can produce a cloud of tiny viruses, which other people then breathe in infecting their own throat. This is why its generally considered polite to cover your mouth while coughing, sneezing, or yawning especially when ill!
-
-
Marikka Beecroft answered on 10 Nov 2014:
If you are ill germs can spread through coughing and sneezing because they are in your saliva (spit) and mucus (snot). When you cough or sneeze mucus and saliva comes out in tiny droplets and carry the germs to someone else. Germs/microbes can transfer to another person through skin to skin contact, for example if you shake someones hand and they forgot to wash it after they sneezed. You can get germs as well from objects, like if you stand on a nail or touch something someone has coughed onto.
-
Sally Cutler answered on 10 Nov 2014:
I guess to answer this you need to think what a microbe wants out of life which is probably to multiply. For many they cannot stay where they are in one host as the immune system will develop and try to get rid of them, so they have to spread to new uninfected hosts. They can spread from external sources into us by ingestion (being eaten); inhalation (breathe them in) or inoculation (wounds and biting insects). You also get ones that are your own normal flora microbes that can spread into a new area of your body to set up infection. These are known as exogenous and indiginous sources of infection. Microbes spread between people by contact (yes including the oral-faecal route), respiration, and sexual intercourse.
-
Ceri Dare answered on 10 Nov 2014:
The other scientists have given good answers. I work in the microbiology / infection control department of a hospital, so we spend lots of time worrying about how germs are spread and how to stop them.
The best thing you can do to avoid catching germs is to wash your hands often, and get all your immunisations.
Interestingly, different germs are killed by different types of cleaning – so for example for some infections nurses need to wash their hands with soap and water, for some they need to use alcohol gel too.
Comments