id169428910233093

supplier accountmagazinefeatures

file namedo1304-do0413p118.jpg

titleThe truth about germs

subject date15-03-2021

place

credit

captionCalling all germaphobes. It’s time to make friends with the bugs around you! A study by North Carolina State University recently found there are 1400 STRAINS OF BACTERIA LURKING IN HUMAN BELLY BUTTONS! Something to think about next time you’re showering… DISHING THE DIRT Right now, as you read this magazine, you’re surrounded by germs. Yep, lots of them. According to Cheryl Power, senior lecturer at University of Melbourne’s Department of Microbiology and Im munology, there’s virtually nothing you couldn’t find bacteria on. But, before you reach for the Spray n’ Wipe, she also says not all germs are bad. “We call them germs, but that makes them sound bad. The real term is microorganism or microbe,” she explains. “A lot of people are frightened of them, but you’ve got them on your skin, in your nose and gut… and are you sick? No, you’re fine! Not all bugs make you sick and you live with them all the time without realising.” The healthy bacteria that live inside us help prevent other germs from attacking us (especially microbes in food), and our digestive system wouldn’t work as well without them. “There is evidence that exposure to germs from an early age lets your immune system learn to work in a positive way,” Cheryl adds. Yay for germs… we think?! The Truth About { WORDS SAMERA KAMALEDDINE PHOTOGRAPHY CORBIS PHONE BUGS (THE NON-TECH KI ND)Researchers at the University of Arizona recently discovered that there are more bacter ia on the average smartphone than you’d find in a toilet (eww!) because phones are often passed around between lots of people. But the good news is, there’s practically zero chance of this af fecting your health! “Viruses won’t really survive on phones,” says Cheryl. “The usual way to catch a f lu is when someone coughs or sneezes and then you breathe it in. It’s pretty u nlikely you would get it through a mobile phone.”While Cheryl has established that bugs