Health: Sharing Isn’t Always Caring When It Comes To Germs

The close quarters of workplaces and school classrooms can be a great breeding ground for germs that have the potential to spread illnesses. But you can fight back.

Stay Healthy

Thing simple first. The best way to overcome health challenges of working in shared spaces is to focus on your own personal hygiene.

Wash your hands regularly, and especially after touching potentially germy surfaces.

Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs make you sick when they get transferred from your hands into your body. Your eyes, nose and mouth are the doors those germs want to go through.

Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Stay home when you’re sick. Your colleagues and classmates will thank you for it.

Boost Your Immune System

You can strengthen your immune system by striking a healthy balance in your life. Help your body stay strong by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and eating a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Love the Lather

Many diseases spread because people do not wash their hands with soap and clean, running water. If water is not accessible, use and alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

Wash your hands:

• Before preparing and eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or helping a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
• After touching an animal or handling animal waste
• After handling pet food
• After touching garbage
• After riding public transit

The Dirtiest Places

Some surfaces attract more germs than others. Usually, those are shared spaces that many people touch, including:

• Faucet handles
• Microwave and refrigerator doors
• Copiers
• Elevator buttons
• Break room tables

You have two options to deal with germy places: Avoid these things altogether, or dominate them by sanitizing them on a regular basis. And, wash your hands after touching these germ-friendly places.

A woman coughing.