HOW GERMS GET INTO YOUR BODY

by admin on March 12th, 2009. Filed under General health

Your body has an excellent coat of armour in the skin, which keeps out germs. But cuts or other breaks in it, and openings such as the nose and mouth, provide opportunities for the microbes to enter.

Nose, throat, and lungs

Many bacteria and viruses are spread and taken into the body through the nose and throat. Most germs thrive in moisture, and spitting, coughing, and sneezing keep them circulating. When you sneeze, you may expel a spray of liquid to a distance of several feet. The common cold, pneumonia, tuberculosis, whooping cough, scarlet fever, diphtheria, influenza, and meningitis are spread in this way.

Colds offer many bacteria—especially streptococci and pneu-mococci—a chance to get a foothold and infect your body with more dangerous diseases.

Nursing mothers with colds should ask the doctor about wearing a nose-and-mouth mask when handling the baby.

More people than you would guess have tuberculosis. Any cough that lasts more than six weeks calls for a chest X-ray. In fact, everybody should have periodic chest films.

Infection from food and water

Typhoid, now uncommon, is typical of the infections that can enter through the mouth. Other diseases of this group include amoebic dysentery and bacillary dysentery (caused by bacteria).

Typhoid germs are found in food, milk, and water that have been contaminated by faeces. Flies that have fed on body eliminations may carry the typhoid germs to food and drinks. Every precaution should be taken to keep food, especially warm food, covered.

Habits of cleanliness should be practised by all members of the family. Washing your hands after going to the toilet and before eating should be as automatic as breathing.

All the milk that comes to your table should be pasteurized. You can do your own home pasteurization whenever in doubt about the milk by boiling it for three minutes. Another method of home sterilization is scalding the milk in a double boiler. The milk should be kept at 150° F., as measured by a cooking thermometer, for a half hour.

Never drink raw milk, because the cow or the people who work with the milk may transmit disease.

In most cities, the water that comes from the tap is safe to drink. But if you live in the country or are going there on vacation, be careful about the drinking water. Boil it for ten minutes before drinking it.

Meats can also carry disease. Uncooked pork may contain the living parasite that causes trichinosis. For complete protection, pork should always be cooked thoroughly. Any pinkness means that it is underdone. For roast pork, an hour to the pound at 350° F. is safe. Brucellosis (undulant fever) may be acquired from pork, beef, milk that has not been pasteurized, and cheese and ice cream made from unpasteurized milk. Raw fish, beef, and pork may contain tapeworms. Thorough cooking of all meats and fish is the best protection.

Diseased rabbits cause tularaemia, a serious illness that may be contracted even just from skinning and preparing the rabbit.

Dangers may be lurking in bakery goods, especially those with custard fillings, such as éclairs, on which bacteria thrive. It is most important to buy your pastry from a clean, reliable bakery, and to put it in the refrigerator immediately when you get it home.

Frozen food can be a means of economy, but it can also be a source of danger. Most meats, poultry, and fish can be quick-frozen and kept safely for long periods. Vegetables, bread, and cake are also popular. But most foods—fruit juices, for example—should be used as soon as they are thawed and should not be refrozen.

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