Baker County preschoolers learn about the spread of germs

BAKER COUNTY — Baker County Health officials are making sure some of our county’s youngest citizens understand the importance of good hand hygiene and preventing the spread of germs.

The Baker County Health Department recently took to social media to share that two nurses recently visited students in the Head Start preschool program and taught about germs and how they spread. The nurses discussed the importance, especially during cold and flu season, of keeping one’s hands clean. Officials say washing hands for at least 20 seconds is most effective.

According to the Baker County Health Department, studies show that handwashing education in the community can:

1.Reduce the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by about 23%–40%

2.Reduce the number of school days children missed because of gastrointestinal illness by 29%–57%

3.Reduce diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by about 58%

4.Reduce respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by about 16%–21%

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Elkhorn Media Group