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Jason Tetro

Microbiology, Health & Hygiene Expert

Since he was a teenager, Jason Tetro has called the laboratory his second home. His experience in microbiology and immunology has taken him into several fields including bloodborne, food and water pathogens; environmental microbiology; disinfection and antisepsis; and emerging pathogens such as SARS, avian flu, and Zika virus. In the public, Jason is better known as The Germ Guy, and regularly offers his at times unconventional perspective on science in the media. Jason has written two books, <em>The Germ Code</em>, which was shortlisted as Science Book of The Year (2014) and <em>The Germ Files</em>, which spent several weeks on the national bestseller list. He has also co-edited, <em>The Human Microbiome Handbook</em>, which provides an academic perspective on the impact of microbes in human health. He lives in Toronto.
How Washing Hands Can Save

How Washing Hands Can Save Lives

According to a recent study, hand hygiene checklists may offer the solution to a problem that annually costs thousands of mothers their lives. The checklist section concerning hand hygiene stated the following: "Supplies available to clean hands and wear gloves for each vaginal exam," and differed from a previous, unsuccessful campaigns by one word: "each."
06/11/2012 08:56 EDT
Banning Plastic Bags Carries Germy

Banning Plastic Bags Carries Germy Consequence

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jason-tetro/flesh-eating-disease_b_1551111.html"><img alt="2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpg" width="300" height="59" /></a> The decision by the City of Toronto to ban the distribution of plastic bags may be considered by some to be a victory and others a tragedy. However, for Toronto Public Health, this move may end up being a nightmare.
06/08/2012 09:53 EDT
Staying Germ-Free at the Office Takes More Than Washing

Staying Germ-Free at the Office Takes More Than Washing Hands

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jason-tetro/flesh-eating-disease_b_1551111.html"><img alt="2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpg" width="300" height="59" /></a> A recent microbiology study of the office has gone further than any other and provided a path for the improvement of the quality of life in the office environment. The team swabbed offices in three major American cities and found the usual suspects -- fecal bacteria, skin bacteria -- but also identified 500 other types of microbes...
06/04/2012 08:49 EDT
Meet the Woman Who Lost Body Parts to a Flesh-Eating

Meet the Woman Who Lost Body Parts to a Flesh-Eating Disease

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jason-tetro/flesh-eating-disease_b_1551111.html"><img alt="2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpg" src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2012-05-28-GermGuyBanner.jpg" width="300" height="59" /></a>Aimee Copeland, a 24-year-old from Georgia was zip lining when she fell into the river cutting her calf. A specific bacterial strain that she encountered in the water survived and started a horrific cascade.
05/28/2012 05:41 EDT