Posted on August 7th, 2009 by Craig Maltby, Editor
Hand sanitizer – Smart move or a waste?
As fall and winter draw nearer, we continue to see a lot of concern and uncertainty being aired far and wide about the possible coming storm of potentially more virulent H1N1.
Naturally, one thing on people’s minds: Shaking hands. And how to protect yourself if you do have to shake someone’s hand. One solution: adopt the “fist bump.” Please see the “instructional” video below about proper fist bump etiquette.
If you find yourself having to shake hands with a future mother-in-law or U.N. ambassador and a fist bump isn’t quite suitable, you might be tempted to carry hand sanitizer with you 24/7. The whole hand sanitizer thing can get a bit confusing with credible sources saying one thing, and other credible sources saying another. A few microbiologists and virus specialists on discussion boards are saying sanitizers don’t really work against viruses (cold, flu) because, although they kill germs, they don’t kill viruses because viruses are dormant RNA and DNA and are surrounded by a protein “shell” until they get inside the body and can be replicated by host cells. Others say that sanitizers can make the skin more “inhospitable” for viruses, and may lessen the amount of virus that rides on the skin. Yet, one quote from a Yale infectious disease researcher says, “I use hand sanitizer 30 to 40 times an hour!” So go figure.
But nearly everyone says that washing hands many times a day with hot soapy water is always one of the best ways to reduce risk of infection.
