It is a definitely not easy to keep our children free from germs. However, to protect our kids as best as we can we need to know what the germs are, where they can be found and how we can get rid of them.
Germs are everywhere. They are microscopic in nature e.g. fungi, bacteria, viruses, protozoa etc. They are mostly free-living and able to disperse easily from one place to another. Highly populated germ areas are basically anything that is frequently touched for example door knobs, water fountains, and pens and pencils, even computer keyboards.
Bacteria: A prokaryotic organism having single cell body, freely movable in the environment. Though some bacteria are helpful to the body in relation to digestion, most of them cause illness such as urinary tract infections, strep throat or cavities.
Viruses: It is very difficult to control a virus as it remains as inert matter in nature and acts as living only within a living organism. They cause various illnesses including colds, pox and fevers. Kids are most vulnerable to viral infections.
Fungi: Fungi are organisms in the plant kingdom. Fungi often produce skin problems on humans. They can grow on any wet object and have high dissemination power. The most common fungal infections are nail infections, athlete's foot, skin diseases and mouth infections.
Protozoa: Protozoa are also single-celled organisms, which need moist conditions for infection and thus most intestinal diseases are caused by this microscopic organism.
We send our kids to school where everyone shares everything! We teach our kids to share, but we forgot to teach them how to disinfect their book before they pass it on to the next kid. So, not only do they come home with a backpack full of homework and a half-eaten lunch, they come home with a body covered in germs. Grade school children suffer from bacterial and viral diseases all the time, due to the lack of proper hygiene.
It is common that our children bring germs into our homes from school, which usually results in an entire sick family. Although you don't want to be over protective, there are plenty of precautionary measures you can take to limit your child's exposure to germs.
Teach your child how to wash his hands properly. First, purchase an appropriate soap, choose something with antibacterial agents. As a rule of thumb your hands should be washed before you eat, after using the restroom, after touching your eyes, nose or mouth or after playing with a community object, for example, plastic balls in a ball-pit. Wet your hands with warm water. Lather with soap and rub your hands together for 45 seconds; make sure you get between your fingers and under and around your finger nails, germs like to stick there. Rinse with warm water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
A great product to stick in the backpack of your little one or in their locker is Clorox Fresh Scent Disinfecting Wipes. They can wipe down their pens, pencils, locker handles, etc. Some kids actually find doing things like this fun. You should encourage it especially during cold and flu season. Even wiping the school bus seats down is not a bad idea!
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/6269499
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