Top 10 germ traps.
BACTERIA can be found in places that you have never imagined.
Did you know?
Mobile phones harbour more germs than a toilet seat or the sole of a shoe, say microbiology professors at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Whether it's people coughing on the train, spluttering in the bus queue or sneezing in the office lift, it's easy to see how germs spread. But where are those unlikely haunts harbouring millions of bacteria that can make you sick without you even knowing?
Often it's the places you don't think twice about touching that carry the most germs, and with 884 confirmed cases of influenza in the first six months of this year alone, it has never been more important to know where they are:
1. Warm-air hand dryers
So you're in a public bathroom and have scrubbed your hands clean - now to dry them off and you're set, right? Wrong. A UK study has found that hand dryers cause a 254 per cent increase in a bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause food poisoning and other infections.
The new super-fast jet dryers aren't much better, increasing bacteria an average of 42 per cent and spreading germs two metres around the bathroom thanks to their high speeds. So what is the advice? Go back to basics. Paper towels decrease bacteria by about 77 per cent.
2. Shower heads
Who would have thought something you use twice a day to make you clean could actually be showering you with germs? A US study found 30 per cent of tested shower heads harboured high levels of Mycobacterium avium, a bacteria that can cause lung infections when inhaled or swallowed and has been linked to heart disease.
Researchers from the University of Colorado found the levels of the bacteria on shower heads were 100 times higher than those found in typical household water. Although rarely a problem for most healthy people, those with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, pregnant women or those fighting diseases, can be susceptible. Experts recommend having a metal shower head and running the water for 30 seconds before use.
To clean metal shower heads, remove the shower head and place it in a pot of boiling water for 20 minutes. Run it through fresh water and return. For a stronger clean, soak it overnight in vinegar before running under fresh water. Do this about once a month.
3. Mobile phones
They go from our junk-filled handbags to the sticky kitchen table before being attached to our hands and heads for long periods of time. And sometimes, if we're not quite quick enough, they even end up straight in our curious toddler's mouth. So how clean are our mobile phones? UK experts say mobile phones harbour more germs than a toilet seat or the sole of a shoe that's been running errands all day.
Microbiology professors at Manchester Metropolitan University say a mobile's constant handling, the fact that they're kept in pockets or bags and the heat they generate, make the devices a prime breeding ground for bugs, including Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause pimples and infections.
Their advice? Regularly clean your mobile phone with antibacterial wipes and try to keep it in a cool, dry place.
4. Door handles
We go from one to the next every day and door handles can be just as germ-laden as public toilets. More vigilance is needed to keep ourselves flu-free this winter. Dr Steve Hambleton, Australian Medical Association vice president, says people need to protect themselves against dirty door handles - particularly those on bathroom doors. "Use the little alcohol gels you carry in your purse or in your car," Dr Hambleton says. If your hands are soiled, then use soap and water. "Our immune system is designed to protect us but we can help it a little bit too," he says.
5. Stair railings
You can't help but grab a stair rail when you're juggling an armful of shopping bags and a screaming child, but you can help what bugs you bring home with you on your hands. Dr Jeremy McAnulty, an infectious diseases expert with the New South Wales Department of Health, says germs are everywhere and good hygiene, vaccinations and being conscious of not spreading flu symptoms are all ways to keep the bad bugs at bay. "Germs are naturally occurring on handrails and if someone who is sick touches one, there is a possibility that you can put the germs on your hands and put your hands in your mouth," Dr McAnulty says.
6. Traffic lights
These are touched by a lot of people from all walks of life - including many impatient children - and can transfer germs easily. Dr Timothy Inglis, a public health microbiologist, says people need to be careful in high-traffic areas with surfaces that are touched by lots of people."
It follows logically that the more an individual location is a point of contact for people's hands in cold and flu season, the more it will be a point of germ transmission," he says.So next time you press the button over and over, tapping your feet while you will the lights to change, pull out your hand gel and sanitise while you wait. You might miss the bus, but you're likely to leave the germs behind too.
7. Computer keyboards
Have you ever peered into the tiny crevices of your computer keyboard and spotted remnants of last week's Vegemite toast or crumbs from yesterday's sandwich? Or, during a really thorough clean, have you held it upside down and had your desk showered with all sorts of grit and grime you never even knew was there? And have you then eaten another piece of Vegemite toast?
It's not a good idea to eat breakfast or lunch at your desk - especially if you job share - and it's easy to see why. Dr Inglis says respiratory viruses that spread throughout the office during the winter can often be prevented by a combination of good coughing etiquette and careful hand hygiene.
"We infer that a lot of these different locations [where germs are spread] are in the general environment and are things that people have a lot of physical contact with - things like computer keyboards and telephones," Dr Inglis says. He advises using tissues and disposing of them thoughtfully, washing your hands after you've blown your nose and using careful hand hygiene when using computer keyboards.
Bank machines are rarely cleaned and are touched by thousands of people, so the fact that they are a haven for bacteria shouldn't come as a surprise. Dr McAnulty says hard, shiny surfaces such as ATM keypads harbour lots of bacteria, making good hand hygiene particularly important. "If someone has had flu and coughed, getting flu germs on their hands, or had diarrhoea and has not washed their hands and touched the buttons, then you can pass germs on," he says.
"But simple precautions such as washing your hands when you've been out and about and touched things the public have touched is good advice to reduce the risk." So next time you need cash, think about how much you need a cold too - and keep the sanitising alcohol gel handy to kill those germs.
9. Make-up testers
Mascara, anyone? Next time you're at the make-up counter, think before you test - that's the advice from the experts. Dr McAnulty says customers should make sure products are disinfected before use if they will be in contact with bodily fluids or mucous membranes such as the eyes.
"If you were to use a device that has touched someone's mucus, such as in their eye, and the person had a cold, then there is the potential for germs to be spread," he says. "It is a good idea to make sure the products are properly disinfected between individuals using them.
"Stay home if you have the flu so you are not spreading it to other people," says Dr McAnulty. "Or, if it is less serious, like a cold, you have a responsibility to stop spreading it to other people by covering your face and moving away from people when you cough or sneeze and washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and running water."
10. The supermarket trolley
They are grabbed and gripped by thousands of busy shoppers every day, taking sweat and nasty germs along for the ride. And if there is a child sitting in the front, there is also contamination from saliva and fingers, with the sticky bars often serving as a teething tool for toddlers. Dr Steve Hambleton, Australian Medical Association vice president, says trolley handles are germ havens and shoppers should be cautious.
"We have hard surfaces around us everywhere and if they are indoors and they don't dry out, they carry germs for long periods of time," he says. "You have to think whose baby was the last one in the trolley and of course hands go in mouths immediately."Antibacterial wipes or alcohol gels can make sure you only bring home your shopping and nothing else, he says.