How Does Disease Move? Crash Course Geography #34?

Disease can travel from one person to another like a game of tag.

Imagine you're playing tag at the park, and someone gets it. Then they run around and tag another kid, now that kid is it too. That’s kind of how disease works: when a sick person coughs or sneezes, tiny invisible pieces called germs go flying like little seeds in the wind.

• If you're near someone who is sick and they cough, those germs can land on your hands or face, just like how pollen lands on your skin when you walk through a flower field.
• You might touch something that has germs on it, like a doorknob or a toy, and then touch your nose or mouth, kind of like picking up a sticky candy from the floor and eating it without washing your hands.

Sometimes, people who are sick can go to another city or even another country, just like how you might visit Grandma’s house for a weekend. Then they bring their germs with them, and now the germs are playing tag in a new place, and that’s how disease moves from one place to another!