Not So Handy Sanities

We were in a public government building today and discovered that all the hand sanitizers on three (3) floors we were at the entrance by the elevators were all out of hand sanitizer. One elevator rider told us the story of having an automatic dispenser at home that was emptied by friends on the very first day. When we found the story from the researchers at University of Virginia saying that hand sanitizers weren't effective at preventing colds or flu we went searching for the source.

We could not find the information at the of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) website where the researchers from the University of Virginia (UofV) announced their findings. We could not find the story or the researchers quoted in the article. But we did find these stories which we thought were indirectly related.

"Rubbing hands together after washing them increases the danger of contamination, scientists warn - Although hand-dryers are more environmentally friendly than paper towels researchers found that bacteria levels increased when people rubbed their hands together while using them. They concluded that paper towels were the most effective means of reducing the risk of infection after washing. " - Microbe World (Sept 12, 2010)

When you call people and ask them about washing their hands they say they do so more than used to according to research reported at the ICAAC. Men do better at home than at the ballgame women are always better than men anywhere. Overall the results were:

"In a 2010 telephone survey of 1,006 American adults, Harris Interactive's survey for ASM and ACI found the vast majority of us say we always wash our hands after using the bathroom at home (89%). More Americans now report that they always wash their hands after changing a diaper (82%), an increase from 2007 (73%). Women are better than men at this practice: 88% of the ladies say they always wash their hands after diaper duty, compared to 80% of the guys." - Microbe World (Sept 13, 2010)

On the very bad side in three (3) states (none in our area) there is a superbug. A super infection that can't be killed or stopped. Now that's scary. It's in the United States, Canada, Britain and India already. Hopefully by the time it reaches us it we might be able to stop it or have a way infect against it. Just in time for flu season!

"An infectious-disease nightmare is unfolding: A new gene that can turn many types of bacteria into superbugs resistant to nearly all antibiotics has sickened people in three states and is popping up all over the world, health officials reported Monday. ...The U.S. cases occurred this year in people from California, Massachusetts and Illinois, said Brandi Limbago, a lab chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three types of bacteria were involved, and three different mechanisms let the gene become part of them." - Microbe World (Sept 13, 2010)

Now you're going to think we made this up (we didn't!). The solution for the new super bug might be the lowly cockroach's brain. According to researchers from the University of Nottingham (London):

"...they have in their brain up to nine molecules from which antibiotics could be produced. These molecules apparently have the capacity to fight more than 90 percent of resistant bacteria such as staphylococcus aureus and E. coli, said researchers from the Universities of Nottingham." - Prensa Latina (Sept 7, 2010)

Superbugs, cockroaches, and hand sanitizers oh my! What was the original story - we didn't forget. It's just not at the ICAAC website though mentioned in all the news stories. It is at the University of Virginia's Health Center website. Funded by the Dial (soap) corporation the study found:

"In the study, volunteers who used an antiviral hand sanitizer every three hours had 42 rhinovirus infections per 100 subjects compared to 51 infections per 100 subjects in volunteers who used no special intervention. Similarly, volunteers who used the sanitizer had 12 influenza infections per 100 subjects compared to 15 infections per 100 subjects in the control group. Researchers also found that hand sanitizer did not significantly reduce the frequency of illnesses caused by these viruses. " - UofV (Health System)

What's not mentioned in any of the articles or in the University of Virginia's press release is the earlier research from the same school with the same sponsor that found hand sanitizers were more effective than soap and water.

"Hand sanitizers that contain ethanol are more effective at removing some cold germs than washing your hands with soap and water, a new study says. Researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Dial Corporation looked at sanitizers containing both ethanol and organic acids and found they prevent the return of the rhinovirus up to four hours after applied to hands. " - Toronto Sun (March 24, 2010)

So soap and water is not as effective as hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers don't prevent flu and a super infection is on its way that nothing stops. The good news is researchers have stop killing your roaches because cockroach brains may hold the key to the cure or treatment against the new super bug. Is this a crazy world or what?

Whatever! The University of Virginia's website doesn't give much credence to the reports because at their own Health System site they do not suggest anything more than hand washing which according to their own research isn't as effective as hand sanitizing which they call "also helpful." Not according to their very own professionals! That's the real story.