Bacteria Busting: From Flip-Flops to First Grade

While stories of germs running rampant on your flip-flops may cause a scare, just-as-harmful (or even worse) microscopic bacteria and viruses could be flopping around your children’s classrooms as they head back to school this fall.

Flip-Flop Fracas

Scientists recently found that flip-flops worn for only four days picked up about 18,100 types of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as Staph, and E.Coli, according to the New York Daily News. 

But while wearing flip-flops may be a potentially-dangerous trend (more likely if you’re walking around in them with open cuts on your feet, it doesn’t mean those statistics are any different than for those wearing sandals or any kind of closed-toed shoes or that germs can’t be tracked into any place by anyone.

What Germs To Worry About

Staphylococcus bacteria are actually commonly found on the skin. In fact, it could be present in the noses of as much as 40% of normal adults, according to microbiology experts. 

But the worst kind of Staph, which traditional drugs can’t treat, is called MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.  It can be found in nursing homes, hospitals and gyms, but it’s relatively rare, and needs to find a break in your skin to invade, then overcome the immune system.

E. coli bacteria from contaminated products and environments like water parks can be more serious.

But while Staph and E. coli may be fairly well-known bacteria, especially E. coli, given rampant recalls of food products contaminated with the bacteria, there are a few lesser-known but still serious diseases that can particularly affect kids.

Germs and the Classroom, Together Again

Hand, foot and mouth disease for instance, affects infants and children, starts off as a fever, poor appetite and sore throat and escalates to a skin rash and blister-like eruptions in the mouth.