Catching a Cold?
Taken literally, the old phrase underscores the importance of basic hand washing.

As winter approaches, the sounds of coughing and sneezing are beginning to fill the air. Many people might believe we catch colds from breathing the germ laden air at school or work. While that’s somewhat more likely for influenza, it is simply isn’t the case for common cold viruses. Studies have shown that it takes close contact over a long time to pick up viruses in the air. Even kissing does not transmit cold viruses very well.

Most of the time we infect ourselves. Cold viruses are four times more likely to be on the hands of someone with a cold than in their sneezes. Environmental surfaces such as counters, cups, and door knobs allow viruses to live for hours. When we shake hands with infected people or touch things they have touched, we may pick up their viruses. By touching our nose or eyes, we put the virus into our system where it can lead to infection. Kissing or sipping from someone else’s cup is actually less likely to spread a cold than simply touching our noses since it takes 8,000 times fewer viruses to infect our noses than our mouths.

Hand washing has been shown to significantly reduce the chance of spreading cold viruses. Studies in elementary schools have demonstrated a 50 percent reduction in absenteeism with the introduction of a comprehensive hand washing program. Intestinal diseases from simple diarrhea to hepatitis A are also reduced when food preparers wash their hands.

The Centers for Disease Control recommend hand washing before, during and after food preparation; before eating and after using the bathroom; after handling animals or their waste; when your hands are visibly dirty and frequently when caring for a sick person in your home. To be effective, hands should be rubbed together vigorously with soap and warm water for 15 seconds. Brief rubbing or simply rinsing under running water does not work. Contaminants are stuck in oils that adhere to the skin. Agitation by rubbing loosens the dead skin cells and soap makes the contaminants and germs remain suspended in the water so that they can be rinsed off. Soap does not kill the bacteria. In fact, germicidal soaps must remain in contact with the skin for several minutes to kill the germs. Many authorities now discourage the use of anti-bacterial soap to reduce the chance developing an anti-bacterial resistant strain of germs.

Medical personnel are exposed to bacteria and viruses that are more dangerous than those most non-medical people experience. Unfortunately, studies have demonstrated inconsistent adherence to hand washing practice by doctors in hospital settings. Complaints about too few sinks or dry and cracked skin have contributed to inconsistent washing of hands.

New rules are being introduced to emphasize the importance of clean hands and new hand sanitizers are being used to help with the effort. These alcohol based sanitizers have been shown to kill pathologic bacteria in seconds without the drying effect of soap. They can be kept close at hand to eliminate walking to a sink. With their introduction, non-medical people may also benefit. Research has shown significant reductions in illness in schools where hand sanitizers have been used because they can be kept in the classroom so sinks are not needed. Visible dirt should still be removed by washing, but hand sanitizers can eliminate cold germs.

It is important to recognize that not all germs are bad. Some scientists believe that our immune systems learn to recognize bad germs from good germs by being exposed to dirt and germs early in life. Studies are ongoing, but many doctors think that excessively clean environments may not be a good idea.

It may not be necessary to maintain a completely antiseptic environment for children, but teaching children to wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom is important. Shaking hands will continue to be an accepted custom in Western societies even though it spreads viruses. We can reduce our own risk of illness by learning not to touch our eyes or noses until after we have washed our hands thoroughly or used one of the new skin sanitizers. Extra care will continue to be the rule for medical personnel and food handlers.

Keep yourself and your family healthy this winter and through the year. Cleanliness may or may not be next to godliness, but clean hands certainly lead to good health.

More details on the importance of hand washing is available at the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/op/handwashing.htm

and the American Society for Microbiology:

http://www.microbe.org/washup/importance.asp

Information on Hand Washing Awareness Week December 8-14 is at: http://www.henrythehand.com/