Bad bugs love the heat and humidity of summer. The only way to beat them is to follow hygienic habits.
"The most favourable temperature for these bugs to grow is between 30°C-37°C," says Prof. Subrata Majumdar, microbiologist, Bose Institute, Kolkata. "Their virulence also intensifies in summer." and these bugs travel quickly too, from your desk to your bedroom. The only way to beat them is to follow hygienic habits everywhere-and sometimes the habit is as simple as washing your hands properly. Here we uncover potential germ sources to be wary of, and tell you how to keep germs at bay.
When you come in watch out for:
Doorknobs: Doorknobs are the prime suspect in the transmission of cold and flu virus and fungal infections via sweat.
Fix it: "Wash your hands after touching a doorknob or touch it with a tissue," suggests Majumdar.
Floor Carpet: Studies show that carpets give shelter to at least 200,000 bacteria particles per square inch, courtesy shoe soles. Most of them are faecal bacteria causing anything from diarrhoea to urinary tract infection (UTI).
Fix it: Take off your shoes before stepping on the carpet and ask your guests to do the same. Clean it with a disinfectant every week.
When you watch TV watch out for:
The remote: The TV remote harbours a cold virus named rhinovirus. It can stay on your remote surface for 2 days.
Fix it: Wipe it clean with a disinfectant every day.
The kitchen mop: Kitchen mops are infected with bacteria," says Dr Narender Saini, India representative, Global Hygiene Council. "They expose you to diseases like UTI, diarrhoea and skin boils."
Fix it: Wash it with a good liquid detergent every day. Sun drying it, is also a must.
The kitchen sink: The drain of your sink is home to 500,000 bacteria per square inch. "It is the favourite hotspot for several kinds of fungi and bacteria since it offers them the ideal combination of moisture, oil and food crumbs," says Saini. So your sink may actually be the reason behind your UTI, pneumonia or lung infection.
Fix it: Scrub the basin daily. Pour a solution containing one tablespoon of bleaching powder and one litre of water down the drain. Keep the sink dry.
The cutting board: Pathogens, worms and fungi hide in the leafy greens and raw veggies that you chop on your cutting board. When transmitted, these may cause typhoid, anaemia and stomach problems like amoebiosis and diarrhoea.
Fix it: Wash the vegetables properly before cutting them and use separate boards for chopping meat and veggies. Clean the cutting boards with a potassium permanganate solution.
When you eat watch out for: Refrigerated food Food kept in the fridge for several days indulges bacteria and fungus, exposing you to a great many infections including diarrheoa and UTI.
Fix it: "Refrigerate food at 4°C-5°C but not for more than 2 days. Heat it at 70°C for at least 3 mins before having it. Avoid reheating," says Saini. Throw the food if there is any smell or froth, or if the taste of the food changes after heating. It means some spores are still left behind.
Uncovered, Kept-out for-long food: Food rots quickly in summer and can cause stomach infection. "Also, flies transmit germs that may cause dysentery, typhoid and even cholera," says Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, director, internal medicine, Max Medcentre, Delhi.
Fix it: Cover all food, even salad. "Don't leave food out overnight outside the refrigerator," says Budhiraja. "And once heated, consume it quickly."
When you bathe watch out for:
Bath towels:Wet towels can give you skin irritation and fungal diseases (like Jock Itch). The chances of contamination increase if you share your towel.
Fix it: Don't share towels. "Sun dry all the towels every day and make sure they are not piled on each other. The towel of an infected person should be washed separately," says Saini.
The bathtub and shower curtain: The soap scum that hangs out of your shower curtain or builds up in your bathtub allows the growth of mildew, a fungus that can cause allergies and headaches.
Fix it: Spray both with bleach once a week. Wash the curtain in warm water.
When you go to bed watch out for:
Bed Sheets: Just mites feeding on dead skin cells keep lurking here. Their faecal matter and corpses contribute to asthma and allergies. Your bed may also be the home to parasites that feed solely on animal blood. They spread from your clothes.
Fix it: To get rid of the dust mites, preferably use fresh sheets every alternate day. Wash sheets in warm water and dry in the sun. Make sure it is not damp. But to beat the parasites, get pest control done twice a year.
When you work watch out for:
The Keyboard: It is the hub for cold and flu viruses and bacteria which cause nail infections, water boils in fingers and skin irritations" says gastroenterologist Dr SK Thakur from Moolchand Medcity, Delhi.
Fix it: "Clean between the keys with a small brush every day," suggests Majumdar. Use a surface cleaner to clean the keyboard every week."
The desk: According to micrbiologists, the average desk top has 400 times more bacteria than a toilet bowl; the worst offenders being phones and desktops. Cold and flu viruses survive there for 2-3 days and get transmitted when you touch them.
Fix it: Wash your hands and disinfect your desk frequently, particularly during the flu season. "In case you are too busy to go up to the wash basin, carry a hand sanitiser," says Majumdar.
When you swipe your ATM cards watch out for:
The buttons: They are the hubs for innumerable respiratory viruses and bacteria.
Fix it: "After coming out of the ATM counter, make sure to clean your hands with a hand sanitiser, in case you can't wash them," says Saini.
When you shop watch out for:
The clothes/make-up you are trying out Clothes, especially lingerie, may lead to scabies and fungal infection in your skin. Testers at make-up counters can give you anything from pink eye to oral herpes.
Fix it: It's best to avoid trying lingerie. But if you must, bathe afterwards. Ask the attendant for panty liners when you want to try them on. Don't use make-up testers on lips and eyes.
Elevator Buttons/ escalator hand rails They are dirty and are therefore high-risk germ zones.
Fix it: Try to touch them with a tissue and chuck it in the bin. Or take the stairs-the exercise will do you good.
When you eat out watch out for:
The restaurant menu Innumerable people touch them and they are never cleaned. And they harbour millions of viruses and bacteria.
Fix it: Never let the menu touch your plate or cutlery, and make sure to wash or sanitise your hands after you order.
When you use the loo watch out for:
The WC seat cover A dirty seat cover may give you faecal diseases, UTI, or skin infections.
Fix it: Wipe the seat cover before sitting. Or better still, use an Indian-style loo in a public place. Wash you hands.
When you are swimming watch out for:
The water in the pool: The pool may give you a host of diseases, mainly those caused by faecal bacteria. "Swimming pools can also cause skin irritations," says Thakur.
Fix it: "Check with the pool authorities if the water is regularly chlorinated," says Budhiraja.
By: Saswati Sarkar and Kathakoli Dasgupta
Source: http://in.specials.yahoo.com
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