Good Health Begins With Clean Hands. How Germs Spread Health authorities believe that by washing your hands you can help prevent a variety of ailments including the common cold and other infections. Germs accumulate on your hands as you perform daily activities and can be transmitted through contact with door knobs, telephones, computer keyboards, shared toys and other public surfaces that are touched frequently by others. These surfaces contain germs that are transmitted from one person's hands to another.
Experts believe that cold viruses are probably spread by hand contact.
The common cold is the leading cause of visits to school health nurses and physicians, as well as school and job absenteeisms. Washing your hands is often your first line of defense in preventing the transmission of germs that can cause illness. Here are ways to help keep you and your family healthy. Don't wait for hands to be dirty. Hands that look clean may, in fact, be covered with germs.