The term “germs” refers to the microscopic bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa that can cause disease.

Washing hands well and often is the best way to prevent germs from leading to infections and sickness.

When germs invade the body, they get ready to stay for a while. These germs draw all their energy from the host. They may damage or destroy healthy cells. As they use up your nutrients and energy, they may make proteins known as toxins, which can help the germ in its mission to destroy.

Germs also activate the immune system, the network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. Our immune system sends out white blood cells, antibodies, and other chemicals to rid the body of the invading germs.

The germs, the toxins, and the immune system processes all can lead to the annoying symptoms of a cold or flu-like infections, such as sniffles, sneezing, coughing, and diarrhea. They also can cause a high fever, increased heart rate, low blood pressure, an inflammatory response in the body, and even life-threatening illness.

Hygiene Strategies:

When your child or another family member has a cold or cough, there are extremely important steps in addition to frequent hand washing that can lower the risk of spreading the infection to others. Some experts call these strategies respiratory hygiene, and they can be very effective if followed carefully. For example, to keep your sick child from blowing secretions into the air, where they can land on other people or on toys and other objects:

• Encourage her to cough or sneeze into a tissue or, if a tissue isn’t available, onto her sleeve.
• Discourage your child from covering her mouth with her hands while coughing or sneezing because this will leave germs on the hands that can be spread by touching other people or objects. Most often, germs are spread by the hands, not through the air.
• Throw away tissues immediately after each use, putting them in a nearby wastebasket or other container.
• Once your child is old enough, teach her how to blow her nose into a tissue.
• Don’t allow your child to share pacifiers, drinking cups, eating utensils, towels, or toothbrushes whether she is sick.

-Hand Washing:

Making sure everyone in your family washes their hands well and often is the best way to stop germs from causing sickness. It’s especially important to wash hands:

• after coughing or nose blowing
• after using the bathroom
• before preparing or eating food
• after touching pets or animals
• after gardening
• before and after visiting a sick relative or friend

There’s a right way to wash your hands:

• Use water (warm or cold) and plenty of soap.
• Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds (away from the water). Kids can sing a short song — try “Happy Birthday,” twice — to make sure they spend enough time washing.
• Rinse your hands.
• Dry your hands well on a clean towel or air dry them.

-Avoid close contact:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

-Clean & Disinfect:

Housecleaning may not be the most enjoyable activity in your day. If you spend a few minutes killing germs, especially those in the kitchen and bathroom, it can go a long way toward keeping your child healthy.

After you’ve prepared a meal, wash the kitchen counters with hot, soapy water and disinfect them using a household bleach solution or other disinfectant. Infectious bacteria can thrive in foods like uncooked beef and chicken. In the bathroom, use the same cleaning and disinfecting routine on the toilet, sink, and other surfaces. This is especially important when a family member is sick with an infectious disease, particularly one that causes diarrhea. Also, frequently clean the area where you change diapers, including the changing table. (Be sure you keep the bleach and all cleaning products out of the reach of infants and young children.) Avoid changing diapers in areas where food is being prepared or consumed.

Some germs can survive and thrive for hours unless you take steps to wipe them away. After using soap and disinfectant, dry the cleaned surfaces with paper towels or a clean cloth. After you clean up, be sure to wash your own hands.

-Vaccines:

Another way to prevent infections from germs is to make sure your family has the right immunizations (or vaccines), which prepare the body to fight illness. Vaccines contain either a dead or a weakened germ (or parts of it) that causes a particular disease. When someone gets a vaccine, their immune system acts as if there’s a real infection. It makes antibodies that recognize parts of that germ. So if that germ enters the body later, the antibodies are in place and the body knows how to fight the infection so the person won’t get sick.