Who we are The Invisible Threat One out of four visits to a doctor's office is a result of someone getting sick from an infectious disease, such as a cold, the flu, or food poisoning - usually caused by germs. You'll be likely to stay healthy, feel better, increase your productivity at home, work, or at school - not to mention the reductions in your medical bills. Statistics from the American Medical Association show that deaths from infectious diseases jumped 58 percent from 1980 to 1992. The very young, very old, immune-compromised, pregnant women, and the severely ill are especially vulnerable.
People taking antibiotics or antacids are also at greater risk of getting ill from some germs.
Germs are virtually everywhere - at home, at work, at school and outdoors. They're on our hands, on our pets, in the air, on everyday objects like toys and doorknobs, and in our foods. And some germs cause infectious diseases. Germs are bacteria or viruses so small they are invisible to the naked eye. More and more vaccines and drugs were effective at preventing or treating these diseases.