Up to 80% of all infections are spread via hand contact with contaminated surfaces.
Viruses can spread to 60% of frequently touched surfaces within just 4 hours.
Some disease-causing bacteria can survive on surfaces for over 6 months.
67% of 18-34 year-olds think their employer should be doing more to make their workplace safer from harmful germs.
Aka: Type of common cold
Type: Virus
Status: Highly Contagious
Found: Everywhere
Causes: Colds, sore throats, bronchitis, pneumonia.
Surface Persistence: Up to 3 months
Spreads person to person, via coughing, sneezing and touching infected surfaces.
Aka: Mould
Type: Fungus
Status: Not always harmful
Found: Food, indoor environments.
Causes: allergies, lung infections, ear infections
Surface Persistence: Months
An environmental threat, not spread between people.
Aka: C. diff, CDI
Type: Bacterium
Status: Highly contagious. Antibiotic use increases risk.
Found: Mainly hospitals but moving into the community.
Causes: Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI). Severe diarrhoea, fever, nausea, abdominal pain. Can be fatal.
Surface Persistence: 5 months (spores)
Spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, objects or body parts. The CDC has branded this superbug an urgent threat. Up to a third of cases are now contracted outside of healthcare environments.
Aka: HFMD
Type: Virus
Status: Highly Contagious
Found: Schools, daycare & wider.
Causes: Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (HFMD) – sore throat, blisters on the hands and feet.
Surface Persistence: Over 2 weeks
Easily spread. Personal & environmental hygiene is the best prevention.
Aka: Escherichia coli
Type: Bacterium
Status: Most are harmless, many are virulent
Found: Normally found in the intestines of people and animals, however, can spread anywhere.
Causes: Gastroenteritis, UTI, respiratory illness & even pneumonia.
Surface Persistence: Up to 16 months
A large and diverse group of bacteria. Most strains are harmless however there are many that are highly problematic.
Aka: Swine flu
Type: Virus
Status: Was pandemic, now seasonal
Found: Everywhere
Causes: Flu, respiratory disease
Surface Persistence: 1 – 2 days
Spreads person to person, via coughing and sneezing and touching infected surfaces.
Aka: Listeria
Type: Bacterium
Status: Virulent
Found: In food, even when refrigerated.
Causes: Listeriosis food poisoning.
Surface Persistence: Days to months
Mainly a concern for higher risk groups like pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems. Avoid high risk raw foods and throw away leftovers after 1 day in the fridge. Fridge hygiene is important.
Aka: Golden staph, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Multi-resistant staph
Type: Bacterium
Status: Dangerous, antibiotic resistant
Found: Spreading to the wider community.
Causes: Skin infections and sepsis to pneumonia and bloodstream infections.
Surface Persistence: Up to 7 months.
Notes: Dangerous germs such as MRSA can remain an active contagion on surfaces for months. MRSA started as an HAI but has begun spreading wider in the community. Non-resistant strains of staph are far more common and still cause problems.
Aka: Gastric flu, stomach flu, viral gastro.
Type: Virus
Status: Highly contagious
Found: Hospitals, cruise ships, day care, schools & offices.
Causes: Gastroenteritis
Surface Persistence: Up to 6 weeks.
One of the most common sources of “gastro”. Easily spreads through direct contact or touching contaminated surfaces. People infected should remain at home for 48 hours after symptoms stop.
Aka: Salmonella
Type: Bacterium
Status: Widespread problem
Found: Undercooked food, dirty food preparation areas.
Causes: Salmonellosis – diarrhoea, fever and adominal cramps.
Surface Persistence: Days to months.
Normally contracted by eating undercooked or contaminated food which means food preparation areas need special attention. Sometimes spread person to person. Symptoms normally last 4-7 days.
Aka: Strep throat
Type: Bacterium
Status: Easily spread
Found: Schools, daycare & wider.
Causes: Sore throat, fever, swollen tonsils. Also Scarlet fever or impetigo (school sores).
Surface Persistence: Up to 6 months.
Spreads person to person and on surfaces wherever people congregate but especially schools and day care. People can remain infectious for months without antibiotic treatment.
Aka: VRE
Type: Bacterium
Status: Growing threat
Found: Mainly healthcare
Causes: Abscesses, urinary infection, pneumonia, meningitis.
Surface Persistence: Up to 4 months.
A major cause of serious HAIs worldwide. In some Australian hospitals, while rates of MRSA infections have been decreasing, infections caused by VRE have significantly increased. Spread person to person and on surfaces.
MOUSE
KEYBOARD
TELEPHONE
TOILET
A recent study shed some light on some interesting statistics. Your office toilet contains only 49 microbes, or “germs” per square inch. Frighteningly your office telephone is home to 25,000 germs per square inch. Keyboards, mice and desks can contain between 1,000 to 3,000 germs per square inch.
