Germ factory

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/05/2009 (6365 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Co-workers teased retired nurse, Mary Smyth, about her cleanliness.  They had embarrassing nicknames for the Winnipegger, who was known in the hospitals she worked for washing her hands constantly, even before and after she gave a patient a glass of water.
“Their water glass was at their bedside. Who’s touched their water glass and how clean are the patient’s hands?” says Smyth, not her real name.
Smyth, who asked not to be identified, says she cringed at the number of healthcare staff who didn’t wash their hands between patients. As somewhat of a germ-a-phobe, she was well aware of the microbes that lurked in her workplace — germs that could make patients, staff and visitors sick.
“Oh my goodness — hands are the dirtiest things,” she says. “And nurses and doctors are the dirtiest people for not washing their hands.”
Retired for the last few years, Smyth still believes in the power of cleanliness in preventing illness.
“I have a hand sanitizer in every single purse and in my pocket if I’m not carrying a purse,” she says. “My hands are clean ongoing.”
While you likely take precautions against germs in places like the bathroom, chances are you do not take the same measures in your work environment.
But whether you work in a hospital or in a conventional office setting, viruses, bacteria and fungi lurk everywhere — on your desk, on the fax machine and at the water cooler.
A 2002 University of Arizona study found that a typical desk can support up to 10 million bacteria — 400 times as many microbes as most toilet seats.
“Certainly there is no doubt that the office is harbouring a variety of viruses, a variety of bacteria and fungi which in a specific type of patient population can cause an infection, for sure,” says George Zhanel, a medical microbiologist at the University of Manitoba, who urges sick people who are sneezing, coughing or feverish to stay home from work until well.
He says that people can catch everything from swine flu to staphylococcal infections—serious bacterial skin infections— from the office.
He says germs are transmitted when one person sneezes or coughs on an object, another person touches that object and then touches someone else. Eventually germs enter the body through the nose, eyes or mouth.
Various bacteria can also enter cuts, scrapes, burns and even eczema-riddled skin.
The best way to prevent the spread of diseases? Washing hands well with soap and water and using hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available, says Zhanel, noting that dirty hands are what transmit most infectious diseases from one person to another — either directly or via an object, such as a fax machine.
Zhanel says that not enough people take the time to wash up — not even the experts.
He notes an observational study at a meeting of microbiologists about a decade ago. The study found 30 per cent of the male germ experts attending the meeting did not wash their hands after using the bathroom.
“And these are bug people, microbiologists, people from around the world who know about infectious diseases and should know a lot better,” says Zhanel, a reseacher with the Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance. “So they’re not doing it. What would make us think that individuals who don’t have as much training and perhaps do not know all the consequences are doing it?”
Worried about computer viruses at work? It’s time to worry about the other kinds of viruses, bacteria and fungi lingering at the office that could make you sick.
Here are some germ-laden hotspots in the workplace:
Communal coffee pot: You grab a cup of java for a jolt of caffeine. However, the number of microbes on the coffee handle will probably be enough to give you a wake-up call, says Zhanel, noting that touching the coffee pot without washing your hands immediately after could give you a cold, a flu or worse.
Pens and pencils: Do you know where that pen or pencil that you grabbed off a co-worker’s desk has been? Perhaps in a mouth or in a pair of dirty hands that’s teeming with staph or E.coli.
Desks and computer keyboards: Many a sticky finger has touched the keyboard and mouse on your desk. You’d be wise to wash your hands after using, says Zhanel. As well, try to wipe your desk and keyboard with rubbing alcohol swabs stashed in your desk.
Water cooler: It’s the gathering place to exchange niceties and gossip, but you could also be exchanging germs there, too. Zhanel says they lurk on the little paper water cups and on the lever you pull to get your water. They also likely reside on the spout— where careless people may have touched to the opening of their sipped-from water bottles.
Floor: Most people realize that floors are dirty. But did you think to wash your hands after getting on the floor to pick up a pen or to move a piece of office furniture? Zhanel says a plethora of germs tracked in from shoe soles could make you very sick.
Kitchenette: The microwave handle and dishrags that coworkers have left soaked in water are likely to be crawling with germs, says Zhanel.
Phones: Dirty hands and droplets of saliva are likely all over your phone. Take time to clean it regularly and wash your hands after using it, say experts.
Fridge: Inside the fridge isn’t so bad, says Zhanel. “Very few organisms grow well at about 4 C which is what most fridges are.” The outside of the fridge, particularly the handle, is a different story, he says, noting that people constantly open and close the fridge potentially leaving it covered the cold and flu viruses and any variety of bacteria or fungi.
Fax Machine, printer: Just like everything else in the office that is used by many people, the buttons on the these machines have seen countless hands and countless microbes.

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