Fear the phone, says germ expert

WORRIED about colds, flu and other germs? Go ahead and touch those doorknobs and elevator buttons, but watch out for the telephone and sinks, a top expert advises.

And while you should always wash your hands before making a meal, many people do not realise that they should do so afterwards also, says Charles Gerba, a microbiologist and clean water expert at the University of Arizona.

“Most of the common infections — colds, flu, diarrhoea — you get environmentally transmitted either in the air or on surfaces you touch. I think people under-rate surfaces.”