If youre at the West Virginia State Fair in Greenbrier County Aug. 18-20, take some time�€and somenontoxic germs�€off your hands by visitingGerm City,West Virginia University Extension Services interactive exhibit.
Germ City: Clean Hands, Healthy Peopleuses an entertaining technique to help children, parents and teachers look differently at an invisible problem: germs. The hands-on experience lets everyone examine the effects of improper hand washing�€in a new light.
Germ Citys guests apply a nontoxic lotion that glows under a black light. When they enter the exhibits 10-foot tunnel, a pretendcity of germsappears on their hands.
Their tour guides�€WVU Extension educators�€ask the guests to wash thegermsoff their hands. Then, the guests enter the tunnel again. If theyve effectively washed their hands, the lotion no longer appears and the pretend germs are gone.
Regardless of visitorsinitial success with washing their hands, excursions into Germ City always include an introduction to effective hand washing techniques, which require warm water, soap and a 20-second scrub.
Guests will leave the exhibit with two valuable souvenir cards: One explains how they can contact their local WVU Extension Service county office to arrange to have the Germ City program conducted at their school, health fair or other public event.
The other card uses icons and a rhyme to remind visitors to wash their hands when they touch animals:If you pet it, dont forget it. Wash your hands, you wont regret it!
People who do not know the effective steps to hand washing will find them detailed on the gold and blue cards flipside. It also reminds readers that they should wash their hands after using the bathroom, after carrying garbage, after coughing or sneezing, after touching animals, and before preparing food and eating.
If Germ City is not open when you are at the State Fair, pick up your copies of the two souvenir cards in the WVU Mountaineer Country Tent, which will be open each day of the fair�€Aug. 12-21.
Why bother? According to the Centers for Disease Control, washing your hands�€effectively�€is the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick.
More than fun to do, the Germ City experience has effectively improved youthshand washing habits. Last year, more than 10,000 youths and adults visited Germ City sites in schools and community settings throughout West Virginia.
Part of a national Extension program, Germ City has taken its health message to more than 500,000 youths and adults nationwide during the past four years.
The Germ City exhibit and theDont Forget Ithand washing cards are part of WVU Extensions health education initiative. WVU Extension gold and blue hand washing signs, which have been distributed to county fairs, barns and show rings, also will be visible in animal-related venues at the West Virginia State Fair.
The WVU Extension hand washing signs and cards are available for download in PDF format at the WVU Extension Services Web sitehttp://www.wvu.edu/~exten/).
Other WVU Extension outreach initiatives include 4-H youth development, nutrition, leadership development, community improvement, economic development and agriculture. The programs are provided through WVU Extension Service county offices.
To learn more about other programs offered by West Virginia University, stop by the WVU Mountaineer Country Tent at the fair. Representatives from WVU departments and colleges will be there to provide useful information as well as to lead fun activities for adults and children.