Some Facts About Germs and Disease

• Germs are most often spread by hands through person-to-person contact.

• Germs can enter our bodies through the mouth, nose, eyes and breaks in the skin without our even knowing we've been infected.

• Poor personal hygiene by food handlers is the second leading cause of foodborne illness.

• Americans spend about $5 billion each year on their colds - about $3 billion on doctors' visits and $2 billion on treatments.

• An estimated 60 million days of school and 50 million days of work are lost annually because of the common cold.

• Some 5.5 million visits to doctors' offices each year are due to skin infections.

• Germs can be transferred from inanimate surfaces to hands and vice-versa.

• Some germs can live on dry surfaces (such as toys) for several hours and moist surfaces (like bathroom sinks) for up to three days.

• Salmonella can survive freezing and can survive on dry surfaces for at least 24 hours.

• The average kitchen dishcloth can contain 4 billion living germs.

• Courtesy of the American Cleaning Institute