Bugs, Germs, Diseases and
Other “Nasties”
Pacific EMPRINTS Presentation
August 1, 2006
7/27/2016
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PRESENTED BY:
John Casken, RN, MPH., PhD.,
Fellow, Royal Society of Health (U.K.)
Director, Office of International Affairs
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene
University of Hawai`i at Manoa
Honolulu, HI
casken@hawaii.edu
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Outcomes

What you’ll learn from this presentation:
Differences between bugs, germs, bacteria,
and viruses
 Why these guys can cause trouble
 What we can do to protect ourselves

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What are we really talking about?

Germs?

Bugs?

Bacteria?

Viruses?
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Germs and Bugs

In every day use, we might say: “I picked
up a bug”
What is a “bug”?
1) Something small that is making us sick.
2) Something we catch from someone else
or from something like food that has gone
“bad.”
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Germs and Bugs (2)

Germs and bugs are not accurate words
to use professionally – in the health field

But after giving you a formal definition of
bacteria and viruses, which are the more
correct names for germs, we will go back
to using bugs and germs
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Bacteria
Technical Definition:
 “Any of a variety of one-celled microorganisms of the plant kingdom, existing
as free living organisms or parasites,
multiplying by subdivision and having a
large range or biochemical (including
pathogenic) properties.”


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Melloni: Medical Dictionary
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More about Bacteria

Can exist almost anywhere

More bacteria as separate individuals than any
other organism

More useful types than harmful ones

Used in many human tasks – making alcohol,
cheese, sewage disposal
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Viruses

Technical Definition:

“An intracellular, infectious parasite,
capable of living and reproducing only in
living cells”.

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Melloni: Medical Dictionary
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More about Viruses

They are very tiny and require an electron
microscope to be seen

Are composed of mainly nucleic acid within a
protein coat

At this time, viruses are not known to be of
value to man, but as we have been able to
work with them for only about 80 years, we still
have a lot to learn about them.
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Germs and Bugs – Problems (1)
Germs cause infectious diseases.
 Infectious diseases are a major problem
in many parts of the world, especially
poorer countries.
 TB, malaria, diarrhea, measles and
HIV/AIDS are some of the major
infectious diseases that are caused by
germs.

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Germs and Bugs – Problems (2)
Being sick with an infectious disease is a
problem not just for the individual but for
the person’s family, the person’s village
and the whole community.
 If you’re sick, you can’t work; you can’t
harvest the crops.
 If you’re sick, you can infect other people
and so on and so on.

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The Major Infection That We’re
Worried About

We lived with Malaria and TB and we
know that they take a long time to kill us!

Avian ‘Flu or Pandemic ‘Flu can kill many
people, very fast.

These flu’s are spread by germs
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Protection Against Bugs and Germs

The first thing to do is to ask how bugs
and germs grow and then how they
spread among people and also among
animals as they can also be affected by
bugs and germs
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How Bugs and Germs Grow

Think of what we need to live and
increase in numbers:
A good safe place
 A good food source
 No enemies

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Good Places for Bugs to Grow
Each type of bug can be different but for
most them warmth and moisture are
important.
 Food should be readily available.
 If no enemies they can multiple very fast.

The inside of bodies is often an excellent
place with everything that a bug needs!
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How Bugs and Germs Spread
1. They often can move a little bit where
they are living but can’t make big moves.
2. They need a carrier:
people
pets
animals
insects
plants
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Using People

What did we do at the beginning of the
class?

Did anyone share my food and drink?

Did anyone cough or sneeze?
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Using Pets

My dog likes me to scratch his ears and is
always hanging around the kitchen and the
table…..
 When I take my dog for a walk…yes! If I don’t
pick it up there are a lot of germs in that mess
waiting for a ride
 Dogs and cats can drool on furniture and lick
our hands….
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Using Animals

Just like my dog, many animals live near
people and their poop has germs.
 People who work with the skins (or feathers) of
wild or domestic animals can pick up germs
from the skins (or feathers).
 Animals can get sick from their own diseases
and die. Their carcasses can be full of germs
waiting to be picked up.
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Using Insects

Flies are everywhere. Just think: where was
that fly walking before it walked on your food?

Mosquitoes spread many germs that cause
major diseases.

Ticks and other insects feed on our blood and
spread germs in the process.
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Using Plants
If you eat a vegetable or a fruit ask
yourself how it got water?
 Who picked the plant?
 Who prepared it for the table?

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Protecting Ourselves

Basic Principle:

Cut the spread of germs.

If they can’t spread and multiple, they will
die off.
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Protecting Ourselves from Bugs and
Germs
1. Avoid problem areas and sick people
2. Long lasting protection, such as
vaccinations and immunizations –
“shots”
3. Short lasting protection, such as bug
spray
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More Protection

The basics: Soap and Water!
Washing hands – Happy Birthday x 2
 Washing our bodies
 Washing our fresh fruits and vegetables
 Washing clothes
 Washing places in our homes

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More Protection

For airborne spread:
Cover mouth when coughing or sneezing
 Wearing a mask

when dealing with items that have bugs and
germs
 when other people are coughing and sneezing

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More Protection

To reduce germs around our houses
pick up poop
 get rid of things that can hold still water
 get rid of rotten old food

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Avian Flu – How It’s Spread Among
Birds
1.
2.
3.
4.
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Normal spread is from a wild bird to domestic
bird.
Ducks, geese and swans are usual carriers.
Can be spread among domestic birds by
contaminated food and clothing, feed and
cages.
The current highly lethal virus HPAI H5N1
can survive for 35 days in contaminated
poop at 4C and for 6 days at 37C.
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Spread from Birds to Humans
1.
2.
3.
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Still unclear how it’s spread but mainly
through contact with dead or sick birds
– especially when slaughtering birds.
Bird droppings can be a source of
infection – in areas where kids might
play.
It does NOT appear to spread by eating
thoroughly cooked meat.
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Why Avoid an Avian Flu Death?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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H5N1 at the moment is highly lethal.
Death is relatively rapid.
Acute respiratory distress within around
6 days of infection – you need to be
intubated in order to breathe.
Multi-organ failure and breakdown
All the health staff will be wearing
protective clothing – no human contact.
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Can We Prevent Avian Flu Spread
1.
2.
3.
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Only way to successfully stop the
spread is by slaughtering and carefully
disposing the bodies of all the birds
Rigorous disinfecting of the farms and
areas where the birds were
How could this be done in the Islands?
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Are There Any Drugs to Prevent or
Cure?
1.
2.
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A number of firms are working on a
vaccine against the H5N1 strain
Tamiflu CAN be useful if given to the
patient within 48-60hrs after symptoms
begin
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Current Situation
1.
2.
3.
4.
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231 deaths since the beginning of the latest
outbreak beginning December 2004
Most deaths have occurred in S.E.Asia but
there have been deaths in Turkey.
The disease has been detected in birds all
over Europe and Asia
WHO is paying very close attention to the
problem as are most countries in the whole
world because the costs of a pandemic
would be very high
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If There is an Outbreak of Pandemic
Flu – What happens?
To date the most talked about solution is
social isolation for two weeks.
However:
1. We’d still need to clean up the virus
2. How would your community cope with
no one working for 2 weeks?????
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Best Advice
1.
Keep yourself up-to-date on what is
happening
2.
Practice the basic steps!
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Sign off
Enjoy your stay in Honolulu.
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