Welcome!


As a scientist and researcher who has devoted his career to the study of the relationship between health and hygiene, I am proud to lend my support to Swisher Hygiene's mission of informing the public about proper procedures to ensure a more sanitary commercial environment.

This is more than good public health policy – it is also good personal practice and good business. That's because maintaining a sanitary restroom, kitchen, supermarket, school, health care center or other public space helps minimize the possibility of outbreaks that can be devastating to individual lives and economic livelihoods. Even more importantly, they can help prevent local, regional or even national health crises.

You don't have to be an expert to recognize that significant threats exist today. Only recently, a flu vaccine shortage raised concern about the potential for a deadly epidemic. News reports about pathogens like MRSA – Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a highly antibiotic-resistant cause of infection – have been a source of alarm for health care providers across the country. And all of us are keenly aware of the global danger that Avian Flu potentially poses.

These high-profile stories often overshadow the hundreds of more common but equally important reasons to practice good public hygiene. Restaurants that are linked with outbreaks of anything from e-coli to hepatitis are routinely driven out of business. Health clubs that fail to provide their clients sanitary conditions rarely last long. Day care centers that develop reputations as germ factories don't attract new customers. And the list goes on.

In fact, studies confirm that one of the most important factors that influence consumer behavior is hygiene. Customers may not remember a restroom that met their expectations, but they rarely forget one that failed to. And they're likely to tell their friends. I firmly believe that not only does each of us have the moral responsibility to do what we can to ensure the wellness of others in our community, but that each of us also has the responsibility to ensure the ongoing vitality of those communities by protecting their business and social interests through the exercise of sound public health policies.

The pages of this website are designed to provide information for consumers and commercial enterprises about the effective practice of hygiene – what to do and what to look out for – to ensure their continued health and safety. I welcome your thoughts and your feedback and can be contacted at drgerba@germcentral.com. Together we can create a healthier environment for everyone.

Sincerely,

Charles Gerba, Ph.D.