A scrumptious dirt pie, a good-luck rock, a slippery frog — just some of the types of goodies kids love to bring home. But these special gifts also can bring thousands of germs with them.
Kids don’t always listen when parents tell them to wash their hands before eating, after using the bathroom, or when they come inside from playing. But it’s a message worth repeating — hand washing is by far the best way to prevent germs from spreading and to keep kids from getting sick.
First Line of Defense Against Germs
Germs can spread many ways, including:
- touching dirty hands
- changing dirty diapers
- through contaminated water and food
- through droplets in the air released during a cough or sneeze
- on contaminated surfaces
- through contact with a sick person’s body fluids
When kids come into contact with germs, they can unknowingly become infected simply by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. I don’t know any child that doesn’t put there hands in their mouth often and once they’re infected, it’s usually just a matter of time before the whole family comes down with the same illness.
Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses — from the common cold to more serious infections, such as meningitis, bronchiolitis, the flu, hepatitis A, and most types of infectious diarrhea.
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