Beware students: Germs are everywhere

By LANCE FULLER
Campus correspondent

Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:30 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 at 8:33 p.m.

Lurking around every corner, they live on keyboards, door knobs and eating utensils.

Most students don’t even know they harbor colonies of them.

As thousands of returning students and freshmen streamed onto the University of Florida campus this week, they brought with them germs from all over the world.

These germs are responsible for upper respiratory infections – the flu, cold, sore throat, sinus infections – which are the most common illnesses that college students contract, said Jane Cullen, director of nursing at the University of Florida’s Student Health Care Center.

Germs are spread by everyday actions such as not washing your hands and not covering your mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, Cullen said.

UF’s GatorWell, a service that educates students about healthy living, created a coalition called Healthy Gators 2010 that has several campaigns intended to hammer home the importance of getting flu shots, hand-washing and other healthy behaviors, said Jill Varnes, UF professor of health education and behavior.

According to Varnes, the most effective way to reduce the transmission of germs is to wash your hands often.

It is also important to clean frequently used surfaces, such as tables and desks, and to minimize touching your eyes, nose and mouth, especially after coming in contact with someone who is sick, she said.

People can also prevent getting sick by using a hand sanitizer and cleaning off door knobs, the keypads on microwaves and refrigerator door handles, she said.

For students who have succumbed to germs and are sick, staying home and getting proper rest, drinking enough fluids and eating light meals will help the body recover, especially from viral infections, Varnes said.

If someone is sick with a bacterial infection, using antibiotics and seeing a health care provider are the best options, she said.

However, health care providers sometimes mistakenly prescribe antibiotics for viral infections, she said, which she adds ultimately leads to resistant strains of viruses and makes the medicine less effective.

Germs are not the only reason why college students get sick, said Jane Emmerée, health promotion specialist for UF’s GatorWell.

High levels of stress, poor dieting and a lack of sleep and exercise also weaken the immune system, Emmerée said.

When students take midterm exams, stress levels rise drastically, leaving students more susceptible to illness, she said.

College students can prevent becoming sick or exhausted by maintaining a balance in their lives, Emmerée said.

On a large scale, students need to juggle a social life, school and a proper sleep schedule, she said.

On a smaller scale, keeping your hands clean and coughing or sneezing into a tissue will significantly help prevent illness, she said.