Hey it's Kaeleigh! Welcome to all about germs! We're gonna talk about what germs are, how they
spread, and how we can stop the spread.
You've probably been told to wash your hands before you eat
to get all the germs off your hands so they don't make
it into your mouth, and then into your body. But what's so bad about a few germs?
The scientific word for germs that cause diseases is 'pathogens'. Pathogens are
tiny organisms called microorganisms that can invade a body and make it very sick.
There are different types of pathogens that can make a body sick. Some of the ones you may have
heard of are viruses like the common cold, or chickenpox. Other passed pathogens are in
the form of bacteria, like strep throat, but not all bacteria causes infectious diseases.
There are a lot of good bacteria that are very healthy for humans to eat
like in yogurt. There are also pathogens called 'parasites'; like head lice or malaria.
And we also have fungi pathogens that can cause diseases. But like bacteria,
not all fungi is dangerous. Some people love mushrooms on pizza
and some types of mushrooms are delicious and healthy for humans, but other types of fungi,
cause infectious diseases like ringworm or athlete's foot.
When a person is infected with a pathogen, they have
what's called an infectious disease. Some of these infectious diseases
caused by pathogens might be familiar to you-
Influenza or 'the flu', the common cold, measles, strep throat, and malaria are all
infectious diseases caused by different types of pathogens and while all those
diseases infect humans, pathogens can also make animals and plants sick too.
But in this lesson, we will only talk about humans.
When an infectious disease is easily and quickly spread
and makes a lot of people sick, it is contagious. That means the pathogens
are spreading or as we call it in science, 'transmitting'. So how do pathogens transmit?
There are four main ways pathogens can spread. The first one is through food and water.
Sometimes, food can be undercooked or sewage makes its way into the water supply
and when humans ingest this bad food or water, there are pathogens that can make them
very sick. An example of this is food poisoning from Salmonella.
The second way that germs travel is through insect bites.
Some insects, like mosquitoes, carry pathogens that pass to humans when they bite. You've
probably heard of malaria- it is passed from mosquitos to humans and makes humans very sick.
The most common way pathogens are spread from human to human is through direct contact.
This means shaking hands, sneezing near someone, or sharing a drinking straw. This
is how the flu and the chickenpox spread most of the time.
But some pathogens can live without a host. That means they
don't need an undercooked chicken or a mosquito or human sneeze to spread them. This is called
indirect contact and it happens when a sick person
touches an object, like a door handle or a handrail, and transmits pathogens to the object.
Then a while later, a healthy person may touch that same object and now have the pathogens on
their hands. And if they eat or touch their face, they can put the pathogens in their
own body and become sick too. The common cold and the flu transfer easily like this as well.
So, how can we make sure we don't transmit pathogens or get sick from them? The best way
is to wash hands; and make sure you wash with soap and warm water and keep scrubbing for 20
seconds. Try to sing happy birthday two times while you're washing your hands-
and don't forget the back of your hands, your thumbs, and the space between your fingers.
The next best way is to be careful not to touch your face, try not
to rub your eyes or your nose, and keep your hands out of your mouth. That's an easy way for
pathogens to make it into the body. And make sure you have a strong immune system. This helps you
fight infectious diseases. You can strengthen your immune system by getting plenty of sleep at night,
good exercise during the day, and eating nutritious foods. Now that you've learned
all about germs, I bet you want to go wash your hands. Practice what you've learned by
playing our online games and quizzes. Stay healthy and remember to always be clever!