Holy ship! Earlier this month, not one, but two cruise ships cut their trips short due to illness outbreaks onboard.It’s not entirely a shock. Cruise ships are floating petri dishes and it takes very few particles of the norovirus-a.k.a. the stomach flu-to make you heave, said Dr. Lola Stamm, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
But if you plan on staying ashore, what are some of the germiest hotspots you encounter in your daily life?
Here, six common culprits and what you can do to avoid sickness.
GERM HOTSPOT: Work
Culprit #1: Your Desk
Office desks harbor hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than do the toilet seats in those same buildings, according to University of Arizona research. Wipe down your phone, keyboard, monitor, and desk with disinfectant wipes at least once a day, Stamm says. And avoiding eating in front of your computer-food particles contribute to germs.
Culprit #2: The Break Room’s Refrigerator Door
Even more disgusting than your co-worker’s stinky lunch are the germs hanging out on the refrigerator door. In a study by the American Dietetic Association, 44 percent of office refrigerators are cleaned on a monthly basis-22 percent are cleaned just once a year.
Visit Men’s Health to read the other five GERM HOTSPOTS.
