By Mykaela Taketa

May 29, 2014

Restrooms on campus are hotbeds for germs but cellphones and desks could be one as well.
Spreading germs unknowingly is as easy as breathing, as bacteria are microorganisms that contaminate the surface of any object they come into contact with, such as your workbag to your face and other parts of your body, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Colleges are hotbeds for germs since there are a lot of people from all walks of life coming into close contact in one area for bacteria to manifest.
Students share equipment from desks to computers making the campus round ripe for contamination.
If the average person’s hand can carry about 10,000 bacteria, according to an article by Professor Amarat Simmone on research done by the University of Florida, then imagine how many are on a computer lab’s keyboard or classroom desk.
Even though one might wash his or her hands, someone else might not, and therefore it is beneficial to assume. Many do not wash their hands.
Furthermore, it is essential that people keep good hygiene of periodically wiping down their phones and washing their hands.
Doing so can help prevent the spread of germs and lowers the chances of catching the cold or even worse, the flu.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu virus spreads through contact with other people from coughing and sneezing or even if someone infected touches an object and you handle it afterward.
It is important to be clean and hygienic because simply washing your hands reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 21 percent according to CDC.
It is crucial that individuals be courteous as to cover their mouths with their sleeves when they cough or sneeze, and not on other people.
If one does not take this precaution, the consequences can be seen in extreme cases, such as a pandemic case of swine flu or avian flu.
Should we take these precautions, the general population might be able to prevent another viral epidemic from expanding in the United States.
Taking from what was learned from other flus, it’s best to keep an eye out on the latest flu make headlines, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
As of May 20, three people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with MERS. The virus MERS has been linked back to the Arabian Peninsula, according to CDC.                Even though this may seem not as bad as Swine Flu or Avian Flu, it’s best to steer on the side of caution.
It’s beneficial to keep a simple rule of thumb and follow general hygiene guidelines.
CDC and the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health have an easy and simple guideline: wash your hands before and after you eat, the bathroom, and after handling animals before you go on with your daily routine.