• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • COVID-19
  • Find A Doctor
  • Subscribe
Home / Wellness / General Health / Don’t Touch That! 8 Places With The Most Germs

Don’t Touch That! 8 Places With The Most Germs

Hand germs disease spread and the dangers of spreading illness in public as a health care risk concept to not wash your hands as dirty infected fingers and palm with microscopic viruses and bacteria.
Worried about what you or your family are picking up in restrooms or while you’re out shopping? Well, you should be: Viruses and bacteria run rampant on the surfaces you touch every day.

Touch a germ-infected surface, then rub your nose or mouth, and the next thing you know, microbes are dancing the mambo in your body. With the cold and flu and other run-of-the-mill bugs crawling about public places year round, germaphobes have plenty to worry about.

Unfortunately, going anywhere people congregate can boost your chances of getting sick, says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., author of The Secret Life of Germs (Atria) and director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University’s Langone Medical Center. That’s because viruses and bacteria live practically everywhere — shopping malls, grocery stores, playgrounds, petting zoos, restaurants. They can survive up to two hours on shopping carts, escalator handrails, even doorknobs before they find their next victim.

“We encounter about 60,000 types of germs every year, but if you’re healthy, there’s no need to fear going out in public,” Tierno says.

You May Also Like
9 Foods You Should Never Eat after Age 30

You can also give your defense system a boost by taking steps to prevent infection; in particular, knowing the top public places areas with the most germs:

The Grocery Store
Germiest items: Shopping cart handles, packaged meats, seat buckets

“Customers may sneeze, wipe their noses, then touch the cart handles,” says Lola Stamm, M.S., Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

They’re also contaminated by children’s dirty hands. And by leaky meat packages that you toss into your cart. Poultry and beef can contain bacterial bombs such as salmonella, campylobacter and E. coli, which cause severe diarrhea, intestinal swelling, nausea and vomiting, she says.

You May Also Like
The Most Common STD You've Never Heard Of

“If meat packages leak onto the conveyor belt, it could contaminate the food on the conveyor as well as your hands,” Stamm says.

About 70%-80% of the shopping carts tested nationwide had E. coli, says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., a University of…

Continue Reading

The Latest In General Health

Casual woman with stomach pain sitting in bed

Top 5 Foods That Can Rescue You From Constipation

Constipation is no fun for sure. The impulsive resort is rushing at over-the-counter laxatives. However, there are some foods that you may already have at home that remarkably efficient in relieving constipation. These foods not only reduce the amount of time read more about Top 5 Foods That Can Rescue You From Constipation

Detoxes & Cleanses: Health or Hype?

As Spring draws near, ads begin to escalate across social media promoting Spring cleaning for your body—as in “colon cleanse” or “detoxification cleanse.” A variety of detoxification diets, regimens, and therapies have been suggested to remove toxins from the body, read more about Detoxes & Cleanses: Health or Hype?

5 Things To NOT Do With Your Tax Refund

It's that time of year again to receive your tax refund. Some people call it, "Black folks' Christmas." It's the time of the year that people are trying to buy and sell social security numbers. That's right, it's tax refund read more about 5 Things To NOT Do With Your Tax Refund
African American woman natural hair

7 Black-Owned Hair Brands You Need To Try Today!

Haircare will never go out of style, which is why we see so many Black-owned hair products for all hair needs in stores and online. For those of us looking to make more conscious choices on where we spend our read more about 7 Black-Owned Hair Brands You Need To Try Today!
WHAT’S AROMATHERAPY ALL ABOUT? FIND OUT HERE!

The Powerful Benefits of Aromatherapy

    Little is known about the history of aromatherapy. What we do know is, like everything else, it originated in Africa. Egypt, to be exact. Egyptians are credited with developing one of the first distillation machines to extract oils read more about The Powerful Benefits of Aromatherapy

Best and Worst Drinks For Your Penis

  Did you know that your choice of drinks can impact your penis? Word on the street is that Hennesy is known to give you the right flow to the right area at the right time. “Henny Dick” has been read more about Best and Worst Drinks For Your Penis

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • 7 Bad Sleep Habits That Cause Weight Gain7 Bad Sleep Habits That Cause Weight Gain
  • Pooch Hall: Family Over EverythingPooch Hall: Family Over Everything
  • Black Health History: Rosa ParksBlack Health History: Rosa Parks
  • 10 Cities With The Highest HIV Rates10 Cities With The Highest HIV Rates
  • Home Remedies For Your Dry SkinHome Remedies For Your Dry Skin

Podcast

Diabetes prevention and management podcast

Dr. LeNoir is joined by Dr. Lenore Coleman, a Pharmacist and Founder of Healing Our Village, as they offer you the tools you need to prevent and manage diabetes.

Listen Now

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2021, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.