How long can a germ live in a room?
The length of time a germ remains infectious depends mostly on the type of germ it is. A germ can be either a virus or a bacterium, and each virus and bacterium has a different behavior in the environment. For example: • The smallpox virus is incredibly durable. The October 1999 issue of Discover magazine says, “A sample stored at room temperature may remain infectious for years.” Anthrax is the same way. Fortunately, smallpox has been eradicated and anthrax is not very infectious. • The AIDS virus is fragile. According to this page, it is only viable for a few hours. Hepatitis B, on the other hand, may survive up to a week. • Some diseases cannot survive outside the human body. Syphilis and gonorrhea share this trait and depend on intimate contact for transmission. Quite a few common diseases seem t
