What M a k e s Wat er U nsa fe ?
49
How germs and worms spread disease
Sometimes it is easy to know where germs and worms are, especially on
unclean things such as feces, rotting foods, dirty toilets, and so on. But
sometimes they are in places that look clean, like clear water, or on our hands.
Germs and worms can pass from person to person through touch, and
through the air with dust or when people cough or sneeze. They can spread
through food and drinking water, or be carried by flies, other insects, and
animals. They may also live on uncooked or poorly cooked food. Some worms
can be passed by drinking, stepping into, or washing with contaminated water,
or eating uncooked shellfish or plants from contaminated water. Germs and
worms that cause diarrhea travel on these paths:
fingers
flies
feces
fields
fluids
food
mouth
One way to remember the paths germs travel is they are all words
beginning with the letter F : fingers, flies, feces, fields, foods, and fluids (water).
5. T he mother cooks. The
germs on her skirt get on
her hands. She serves the
food with her hands.
6. T he family eats
the food.
7. Later, the whole family
has diarrhea.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012