Your child’s threatening and invisible playmates

Isabel Salvosa

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Your child’s threatening and invisible playmates
Harmful germs lurk even in places you wouldn’t expect

MANILA, Philippines – Playtime is a time of fun exploration for your kids. But did you know that it poses threats to their health, especially when they’re not protected?

These threats include disease-causing germs, and they’re everywhere – they’re unavoidable. Aside from the environment we live in and the objects we touch every day, they can be found on our skin and inside our bodies.

It’s the pathogens – the smaller but deadlier majority of germs – which you have to worry about. These cause the common cough and colds, but also diseases such as tetanus and syphilis.

Here are three common types of disease-causing germs:

Bacteria – A single-celled organism. Bacteria reproduce on their own by splitting into two. They cause boils, rashes, salmonella infection, and pneumonia.

Virus – Smaller than bacteria and reproduce by invading a host cell. Viral attacks cause flu, sore throats, measles, and influenza.

Fungi – These single- or multi-celled plant-like organisms feed on dead plants or animals. They can also be parasites. Fungal diseases include athlete’s foot and ringworm.

Playtime germs

Your child’s curious little hands are sure to encounter nasty germs during playtime. And in a place full of other children, this risk multiplies. In some cases, 70% of germs can transfer in as quickly as 10 seconds.

What’s important to remember is that germs aren’t just transmitted through touching other humans, but also inanimate objects.

Children love to run around, touch everything, and put their dirty fingers and even foreign objects in their mouths.

Perhaps this is why there are recurring cases of bacteria- and virus-caused diseases such as scarlet fever and HFMD in children.

So where do these unseen threats thrive?

1. Playgrounds

The playground is an obvious breeding ground for potential illnesses. While home to fun rides your kids love, it’s also home to fecal bacteria and other germs.

2. Toys and books

Germs like the indoors just as much as the outdoors. Like playground sets, shared toys and books contain germs. These can survive for up to 24 hours. This isn’t particularly a problem, unless a sick child has been using them – most likely at the day-care or the pediatrician’s office.

3. Gadgets

Techie kids – who spend an average of 6 hours using gadgets every day – can find that their devices harbor a myriad of germs. Forbes.com listed smartphones, tablets, game controllers, keyboards, and remote controls as gadgets with at least two times more germs than a toilet seat.

4. Pets

Playing with pets is therapeutic and teaches kids the value of responsibility. But puppies and kittens, though adorable, can pass on harmful germs which result in ringworm and tapeworm infections.

Prevention is better than cure

Just because your kids aren’t sick doesn’t mean they’re safe. There are plenty of precautions you can take to shield them against unwanted germs, such as sterilizing their toys, school gear, and gadgets; providing them with wet wipes and alcohol-based sanitizers; and getting them vaccinated.

But the simplest and most effective way to protect your children from germs is to teach them the merits of hand-washing.

In a study, it was found that kids can reduce their risk for pneumonia by 50% and diarrhea by 53% if they properly washed their hands with soap and water.

However, not all soaps offer the same level of protection against germs. Health experts like the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, Inc. (PAMET) recommend Safeguard because of its Germshield+ Technology, which kills the three kinds of disease- and odor-causing germs and inhibits microbial growth for up to 24 hours.

Safeguard with Germshield+ provides protection from germs such as E. coli, Shigella, and Campylobacter, found in playgrounds, pets, and other contaminated surfaces.

Kids should wash their hands with an anti-bacterial soap for at least 20 seconds before eating, after using the bathroom, after playtime (particularly with other children and pets), and after sneezing or coughing.

Germs lurk everywhere, and there’s just no escaping them. It’s important to take care of your kids, but ultimately, it’s better to teach them how to do it for themselves. – Rappler.com

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