Running late, a student hastily grabs the knob on the door of his 8:30 a.m. class and flings it open. Sliding by his classmates and into his seat, he silences his cell phone and tosses his notebook on his desk. Within minutes, he is fervently rubbing his eyes to stay awake as the soft humming of fluorescent lights and the monotonous voice of his professor combine to put the class in a stupor.

It might be a typical scene, but there is something about this scene that is not often noticed. Before rubbing his eyes, this student touched multiple surfaces that harbor potentially harmful pathogens – the doorknob, his cell phone, his desk.

“Throughout the course of a day, people touch their faces constantly,” Jay Levine, a professor in the department of population health and pathobiology, said.

Levine said this contact is something people should be more conscious of in order to avoid illness.

“We live in a microbial soup,” he said.

The ingredients in this soup include things like orthomyxovirus (the flu), norovirus (the stomach flu), rhinovirus (the common cold), and escherichia coli (otherwise known as e. coli which causes diarrhea), according to The Germ Freak’s Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu by Allison Janse and Dr. Charles Gerba.

Janse and Gerba report in the guide that all four of these are often transmitted by hand-to-hand contact when an infected person coughs or sneezes on his or her hand, or fails to sanitize his or her hands after using the bathroom. Also, if an infected person touches a surface that others touch, pathogens can reach people that way.

And the surfaces that are home to large numbers of pathogens in many cases may be surprising.

“One of the easiest places to get sick is a hospital or doctor’s office,” he said.

A pharmacy counter, Levine said, is also a prime place for germs. But according to Levine, pathogens may not last for long on surfaces like counters.

“Each pathogen has a different longevity in its survival,” he said.

Levine said while the common cold can be picked up from surfaces like door knobs, it doesn’t remain for a long time. And, while influenza can last for a couple of hours on fabrics, it is mostly transferred through droplets produced by coughing or sneezing.

“A lot of times when people sneeze people don’t cover their mouths enough,” Bruce MacDonald, a biosafety specialist in the department of Environmental Health and Safety, said.

To minimize hand-to-hand transmission of illness, MacDonald suggested alternatives to stifling a cough or sneeze with one’s hand.

“Sneeze into a handkerchief or the sleeve of your shirt or blouse,” he said.

This may be more important to remember as cold weather approaches. MacDonald said the increase in illness during the winter months can be attributed to the long periods of time people spend indoors, facilitating the infection’s transmission.

Cleanliness, however, can prevent this.

Since many germs come from the mouth, MacDonald said phones are often covered in bacteria. He recommends wiping personal phones down with disinfectants once per day.

While he said there is no requirement for cleaning other surfaces, it is a good idea to do so regularly.

Both MacDonald and Levine emphasized the priority of hand washing as a method of prevention. Specifically, Levine said, the use of liquid soap is key.

Alisha Uribe, a sophomore in education, said she also sees importance in handwashing, as she has been sick five times this semester with viral infections, bronchitis and allergies. Uribe said she uses hand sanitizer frequently.

But she said she doesn’t take the time to wipe down other surfaces such as her classroom desks.

“The thing is not to be paranoid about this stuff,” Levine said. “Use common sense.”