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National Institutes of Health
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.
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Start Here
- Ounce of Prevention Keeps the Germs Away: Seven Keys to a Safer Healthier Home(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
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Understanding Microbes in Sickness and in Health(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- PDF
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For group Learn More
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
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For You
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Overviews
- Germs: Understand and Protect against Bacteria, Viruses and Infection(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Water-Related Hygiene(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Prevention/Screening
- Hand Washing: Do's and Dont's(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Stopping the Spread of Germs at Home, Work and School(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
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Specific Conditions
- Body, Facial, & Dental Hygiene(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Clean Hands Save Lives: Emergency Situations(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
- Healthy Swimming/Recreational Water Frequently Asked Questions(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Hygiene Etiquette: Coughing and Sneezing(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Related Issues
- Lung Health: What You Should Know about Germs(Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) - PDF
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Videos
- Put Your Hands Together(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Games
- Food Detectives: Fight Bac(Partnership for Food Safety Education)
- Scrub Club(NSF International)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Communicable Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Handwashing(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Communicable Diseases
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Research
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Five Foul Things That Are Also Good for You(National Institute of General Medical Sciences)
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Five Foul Things That Are Also Good for You
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
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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
- Fighting Germs(Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
- Hand Washing(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Why Should I Care about Germs?(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Patient Handouts
- Cleaning supplies and equipment
- Also available in Spanish
- Cleaning to prevent the spread of germs
- Also available in Spanish
- Isolation precautions
- Also available in Spanish
- Personal protective equipment
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
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Germs and Hygiene - Multiple Languages
