MedlinePlus: Germs and Hygiene

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Photograph of a young boy washing his hands

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Germs and Hygiene

When you cough or sneeze, you send tiny germ-filled droplets into the air. Colds and flu usually spread that way. You can help stop the spread of germs by

Covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
Cleaning your hands often - always before you eat or prepare food, and after you use the bathroom or change a diaper
Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth

Hand washing is one of the most effective and most overlooked ways to stop disease. Soap and water work well to kill germs. Wash for at least 15 seconds. Disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers also work well.

Start Here

Ounce of Prevention Keeps the Germs Away: Seven Keys to a Safer Healthier Home(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Links to PDF
Also available in Spanish
Understanding Microbes: In Sickness and Health(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) - Large PDF file

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Latest News Prevention/Screening	Specific Conditions	Videos Games
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Clinical Trials Journal Articles	Organizations	Children Teenagers

Overviews
- Stopping Germs at Home, Work and School(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  Also available in Spanish
Latest News
- Handwashing: Hand Hygiene Saves Lives(06/23/2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Prevention/Screening
- Giving Germs the Slip: Soap and Shots Can Protect Your Health(National Institutes of Health)
- Hand Washing: An Easy Way to Prevent Infection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Specific Conditions
- Biological Threat: Symptoms and Hygiene(Dept. of Homeland Security)
- Hand Hygiene After a Disaster(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Healthy Swimming Frequently Asked Questions(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Stopping the Spread of Germs at Work(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Videos
- Clean Hands Save Lives(Healthy Roads Media) - Requires Flash Player
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Games
- Food Detectives: Fight Bac(Partnership for Food Safety Education) - Requires Flash Player
- Scrub Club(NSF International)
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Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Communicable Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Handwashing(National Institutes of Health)
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hygiene(National Institutes of Health)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Also available in Spanish
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Children
- What Are Germs?(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Why Do I Need to Wash My Hands?(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Why Is Hand Washing So Important?(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
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Teenagers
- Hand Washing(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Why Should I Care about Germs?(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
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