Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

hygiene

Would this superbug make you wash your hands more often?

The bug was drawn for a HSE competition to raise awareness of microbes.

IF BUGS LOOKED like this….

image

Or this…

image

Would you wash your hands more often?

The above pictures were drawn by two students who won a HSE and Science Week competition – the first is by Third class winner, Setanta Ó Nuáilain, and the second by Fifth class winner, Eden Leavy Cassidy.

With their creepy bug drawings, they wanted to get across the message: ‘If real bugs looked like this, we would all wash our hands’. The students were among 2,000 children from around the country who designed their very own superbugs to highlight the importance of keeping their hands clean and preventing the spread of infections.

The HSE-sponsored competition took place as part of Science Foundation Ireland’s Science Week 2014, to promote www.ebug.eu.

The results come just days after it was revealed that 20 per cent of people don’t wash their hands after using public toilets.

Dr Robert Cunney, Consultant Microbiologist with the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre and Irish lead on the e-bug project, explained that the site is a resource for teachers, parents and children to have fun while learning about microbes and how to protect themselves from infection.

Children are never too young to learn the basics of how to keep themselves and others safe from harmful bugs and the Science Week competition was a great way to engage with kids and a fun and interesting way to find out how they see bugs and germs.

To see all of the winners, go to the HSE website.

Read: Twenty per cent of people don’t wash their hands after using public toilets>

Your Voice
Readers Comments
10
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.