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2010 Annual Traveler Survey, 4 December 2009
"88 percent of respondents said they are concerned about germs, bacteria and viruses when traveling, compared to 83 percent last year. Seventy-seven percent of travelers said they are washing their hands more often on the road than they normally do, an increase of 17 percent from one year ago.
Despite the concerns over germs, Americans expect to travel more in 2010 than in 2009. Forty-one percent of U.S. respondents said they plan to spend more on leisure travel in 2010 than they did in 2009 and 92 percent of travelers are planning to take two or more leisure trips in 2010, up from 89 percent last year. Sixty-six percent said the economy will not affect their travel plans for the coming year."
San Jose Mercury News, "Dirty Hands Spread Dangerous Diseases like Swine Flu", 25 April 2009
"The Centers for Disease Control says the most important way to prevent the transmission of dangerous diseases, including swine flu, is to frequently wash your hands with soap or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol."
CNN Health, "Flu and your health on a plane", 20 April 2009
"The novel swine flu is showing the world just how interconnected we are and how commercial aircraft can serve as vehicles of rapid disease spread. I am frequently asked: What is the risk of catching an illness while flying?... We really have no control over the infectiousness of our fellow passengers, and usually, you really don't have much of a choice about your seating partners. So the exposure is pure chance.
But this doesn't mean that you are doomed. Most respiratory viral infectious diseases -- like influenza and the common cold -- transmit via droplets contaminated with the offending microorganism when the infectious person coughs or sneezes. These droplets are propelled no farther than 3 feet and can land on an inanimate object -- such as a seat, overhead bin or seat tray -- or on your body. This is why hand hygiene is so critical and is the single most significant thing you can do to protect yourself and your family when you are traveling or out in public.
Study after study shows marked reductions in transmission in public spaces when hand hygiene is practiced, ..l.
Sanitize your hands before eating, drinking and after retrieving something from the overhead bin or returning from the restroom, and you have just cut your chances of getting infected by at least 40 percent. One of my disappointments with the airline industry is its lack of providing alcohol-based hand sanitizers to passengers. Such a service would go a long way in eliminating infection spread within aircraft..."
Telegraph (UK), "Swine flu: essential advice for travellers", 21 July 2009
"From whether it is safe to travel by air to the measures being taken to combat the spread of the virus, we offer a travellers’ guide to swine flu.
Dr Richard Dawood, a specialist in travel medicine at the Fleet Street Clinic in London answers some frequently asked questions about swine flu and air travel.
Are my chances of contracting swine flu increased by travelling on planes? All respiratory viruses do pose a risk to anyone travelling in confined spaces. If the air-conditioning system is working normally, you are only at risk in the same way that you would be on a train or a bus – from the people sitting in close proximity to yourself. It is not risk free, but not high risk unless you are unfortunate enough to be seated next to someone who is unwell and is coughing and spluttering.
Is there anything I can do outside of normal advice to minimise the risk when travelling by air? Travellers do need to take extra care. Being extra aware of hand hygiene is the single most important thing that you can do. Hand gels are good. If you are handed anything like a sandwich for example, or you have been pushing a trolley that other people have handled, make sure you use an antibacterial hand gel."
Sydney Morning Herald, "Swine flu warning as deaths increase", 14 July 14 2009
"Health experts fear the state's swine flu death toll could soar .. a senior health source said swine flu was likely to hit harder as there was no vaccine and no immunity.
- 2029 people have tested positive in NSW.
- 346 have been admitted to hospital (255 in Sydney's west and south-west).
- Four have died, with two more deaths awaiting coroner's confirmation.
- Five major Sydney hospitals now treating victims with cardiac bypass machines.
- One-third of the population expected to get swine flu."
CNN "Five ways to avoid germs while traveling", 27 November 2008
".. Studies show that germs can travel easily on an airplane, where people are packed together like sardines. For example, a woman on a 1994 flight from Chicago to Honolulu transmitted drug-resistant tuberculosis to at least six of her fellow passengers, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study.
Here are five ways to avoid germs while traveling:
1. Sit toward the front of the airplane..
2. Don't drink coffee or tea on an airplane..
3. Sanitize your hands after leaving an airplane bathroom..
4. Wash or sanitize your hands after getting off an escalator..
5. Wash or sanitize your hands after using an ATM.. "
New York Times, "Flu Risk, Flying and Healthy Travel", 2 May 2009
"Is it still safe to travel by air?
Yes, traveling by air remains safe. I would have no hesitation in flying or having one of my family members fly.
Air circulation patterns aboard standard commercial aircraft are side-to-side — a so-called laminar pattern — with air entering the cabin from the overhead, circulating across the aircraft in a circumferential manner and exiting the cabin near the floor. Studies published in 2004 confirmed that little to no front-to-back, or longitudinal, airflow takes place. This air circulation pattern compartmentalizes the airflow into sections within the cabin, thereby limiting the spread of airborne particles throughout the passenger cabin.
It is important to continue to practice good hand hygiene, so bring an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that has at least a 50 percent alcohol content. ...
Australia Financial Review, "Good Hygiene, Not Drugs Best Prevention: Chemists", 29 April 2009
"People could protect themselves (from flu) by considering their own personal hygiene. Probably the majority of cleanliness is about touching, using door knobs.. Good personal hygiene is the thing we need to stress at the moment."
Tips to Avoid the Airline Carrier Cold, Independent Traveler.Com, September 2008
"1. Stay hydrated...
2. Keep your hands clean.
Your hands are the most consistent point of first contact with cold, flu and other germs. It is a direct line from armrest/seatback/handshake to fingers to fork to mouth to full-blown fever a few days later. According to a National Institutes of Health factsheet, the type of virus that causes the common cold and the flu has been found to survive for up to three hours on your skin or on objects such as armrests, TV remote control handsets, tray tables and other similar surfaces.
UK Department of Health ,"Catch it, Bin it, Kill it - Respiratory and hand hygiene campaign", July 2009 (video)
BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour, 16 October 2008
"New research has revealed that alarmingly high levels of people are carrying fecal bacteria on their hands.The study, which was carried out on commuters, shows that men in the North of England have markedly less clean hands than their southern counterparts. The results also show 6 per cent of London males have dirty hands, whereas 21 per cent of women had clearly not washed their hands on the morning of the study..."
The Australian, 25 April 2009, "Worried about swine flu? Wash your hands"
"Little can be done to prevent an outbreak of flu from spreading, health experts caution, but they say common sense measures can help individuals protect themselves. Number one is hand-washing, they say - a surprisingly effective way to prevent all sorts of diseases, including ordinary influenza and the new and mysterious swine flu virus. "Cover your cough or your sneeze, wash your hands frequently," advised Dr Richard Besser, acting CDC director. Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows little particles of virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria."
Professional Beauty Australia, "Swine Flu spurs sanitizer sales", 5 November 2009
"With the latest bout of colds and influenza passing through the community, families are turning to sanitizers to stay healthy. Over the past 12 months, sales of hand sanitizers have increased between 15% and 200% around the world. .. Research that was presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America showed that families using hand sanitizer gel had a 59 percent reduction in the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses compared with families that didn't use sanitizer, according to a Harvard Medical School study. ..Vegan skin care products are becoming the product of choice for people wanting to avoid animal products and by-products. They are also particularly appealing for those interested in animal welfare and the environment..."
Vancouver Sun, "Household toxins: Toying with our safety", 7 June 2009
"Smith and Lourie spent a week as experimental guinea pigs. They exposed themselves to pollutants that many people expose themselves to on a daily basis. ..
Most shocking to Smith were his own triclosan levels, which were 3,000 times higher after just two days of using products containing the antibacterial and antifungal agent. “I was blown away by my triclosan results,” he said. “As a society, our exposure to this stuff has gone through the roof.” Triclosan is found in many toothpastes, hand soaps, deodorants, and even socks and garden hoses. It can weaken the immune system, cause thyroid problems and possibly cancer, and is thought to contribute to bacterial resistance and the rise of superbugs.
Smith notes that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are fine, but said the ballooning use of triclosan in a variety of products is a big problem.”
Examiner.com, April 2009
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers which don’t require water are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren’t available .. They’re actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease ..
Hand washing is especially important for toddlers and children who attend child care. Children younger than 3 years in child care are at greater risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases, which can easily spread to family members and others in the community, especially the elderly.
"Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans.” ~The Mayo Clinic
"Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.” ~ U.S. Center for Disease Control
.. It is one of the easiest but most effective ways to prevent transmission of the common cold and infections ranging from Clostridium difficile to MRSA, SARS and bird flu ...
Wikipedia.com, 28 January 2009
"Some hand sanitizer products use agents other than alcohol, such as triclosan or benzalkonium chloride, to kill germs. Cleanwell, Soapopular, Safe Hands, Safe4Hours, Gentle Care, and No Rinse are among non-alcohol hand sanitizer brands. However, the NIH [2] and the CDC [3] cite studies that find products using only these non-alcohol agents can lead to antibiotic resistant germs like MRSA Staph, whereas the CDC states "No mechanism for resistance to alcohol has been described in bacteria" [4]. Triclosan has been shown to accumulate in biosolids in the environment, one of the top seven organic contaminants in waste water according to the National Toxicology Program[5]. Triclosan leads to various problems with natural biological systems [6], and triclosan, when combined with chlorine e.g. from tap water, produces chloroform, a probable carcinogen in humans.[7]
LiveScience, 27 October 2009
"Fighting the Flu: Do Hand Sanitizers Work?"
"With the amount of bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizer available for public use at hospitals, schools, day-care facilities and malls now outnumbering the billions of viruses and bacteria on even the dirtiest of human hands, you may be wondering if this stuff actually works. Is it better than hand washing? Does it create mutant strains of alcoholic germs? Might my retirement savings have actually increased had I invested in the makers of Purell last year? In fact, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are tremendously effective in preventing the spread of the seasonal flu, H1N1, colds and other viral- and bacterial-based diseases; and sales are through the roof.
here are in fact few negative consequences about this hand-sanitizer mania sweeping the country, although the gels do have their limitations.
Most respectable public health experts will tell you that hand washing with ordinary soap and water is the most effective way to remove germs from your hands. But "effective" is a questionable term. The recommendation calls for hand washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds to create a full lather and to reach all crevices of your hands and wrists, as advocated on Sesame Street yet rarely put into practice.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers kill most types of bacteria, viruses and fungi in a few seconds. While rubbing your hands with sanitizer for 15 seconds is ideal, poor hand-sanitizer use still beats poor hand washing.
And people seem to use hand sanitizers often — so much so that, from a public health standpoint, although proper hand washing is technically superior than alcohol gels most of the time, hand-sanitizer mania will likely be a more effective means to reduce disease transmission. Studies have shown how hand sanitizers reduce gastrointestinal illnesses in households and curb absentee rates in schools and workplaces.."
University of Virginia, The Cavalier Daily, 26 March 2010
Hand sanitizers are more effective against colds than hand washing
"Research shows hand sanitizers more effective against colds University Medical School researchers concluded Wednesday that hand sanitizing is more effective against fighting the common cold than hand washing. The research, fully funded by The Dial Corporation in Scottsdale, Ariz...., was divided into two experiments.During the first experiment, researchers placed a virus on volunteers’ hands and asked them to clean their hands either using water, using soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. "
“While the hand washing removed the virus, [it] is statistically significantly worse than hand sanitizers [used] just for removal of viruses from hands,” said Pediatrics Prof. Ron Turner.The second experiment exclusively dealt with hand sanitizers, comparing regular, alcohol-based hand sanitizers to hand sanitizers containing organic acids. An organic acid, such as malic or citric acid, “lowers the pH on the hands and inactivates [viruses] over a period of time,” Turner said.The studies showed that hand sanitizers containing organic acids continued to work far after application of the sanitizer, killing viruses up to four hours later.Though alcohol-based sanitizers do kill the virus, they do not continue to protect against viruses through longer periods of time, Turner said."
United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Clean Hands Campaign, 2007
“Alcohol-based hand rubs significantly reduce the number of germs on skin and are fast acting.”
United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Preventing Seasonal Flu", 12 March 2009
CDC Says “Take 3” Steps To Fight The Flu
Take time to get a flu vaccine.
Take everyday preventive actions. .. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Try to avoid close contact with sick people. If you get the flu, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor recommends them.
United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You", 8 May 2009
"Take these everyday steps to protect your health:
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further."
Mayo Clinic (USA), May 2007
“Alcohol-based hand sanitizers — which don't require water — are an excellent alternative to hand washing, particularly when soap and water aren't available. They're actually more effective than soap and water in killing bacteria and viruses that cause disease. .. Moreover, alcohol hand rubs cause substantially less skin irritation and dryness than washing with soap. Hand washing removes lipids from the skin, whereas alcohol compounds only redistribute them.”
Mayo Clinic (USA), October 2007
“Protecting yourself from staph infections can seem daunting, given how widespread and virulent the bacteria have become… If your hands aren't visibly dirty, you can use a hand sanitizer containing at least 62 percent alcohol. ”
Infection Control Today Magazine, December 2002
"People will tell you, 'Since using alcohol, my skin is drier than it was before.' But what you need to realize is that people didn't wash their hands before. They were compliant at 10 or 15 percent. With alcohol, they are compliant at 40, 50, 60 even 80 percent.' Alcohol-based hand rubs, he added, do less harm to skin than medicated soap in the long run. (Didier Pittet, author of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) long-awaited hand-hygiene guidelines.)"
Mayo Clinic (USA), Oct 2007
“Older children and adolescents also can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Younger children can use them, too — with an adult's help. Just make sure the sanitizer has completely dried before your child touches anything. This will avoid ingestion of alcohol from hand-to-mouth contact. Store the container safely away after use.”
University of Toronto, "Do hand sanitizers really work?" Professor James Scott, 10 July 2009
"Does hand sanitizer work?
I was one of the skeptics. But as I have looked critically at the research that has come out, I can say yes, it really works. It works exceedingly well. It reduces the skin burden of bacteria much more effectively than soap and water and the amount of bacteria on the skin tends to remain lower for much longer than when soap and water is used. It also tends to be less damaging to skin because it has built-in emollients. People who are in occupations where there is a lot of hand washing, have skin that tends to dry out easily and it can crack and become more prone to carrying bacteria...
So for things like swine flu, you recommend people use hand sanitizer. This is the absolute best front-line protection for those kinds of diseases..
Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, Washington, DC
Chris Peot, Biosolids Manager, 9 January 2009
"Triclosan shows up at a few parts per million in biosolids, and if we are alarmed by this we should be outraged by the levels in the products we buy. I've seen hand sanitizers at 5% triclosan by weight, which is 50,000,000 ppm. This is the product that we are required to send to school in the fall with our kids (I have 4 and 6 yr old boys) and that they lather their hands and faces with presumably to avoid catching colds and spreading germs. If we are alarmed by a few ppm in the biosolids, we should be livid about the products that are sold in our society, and we should concentrate our efforts in getting them off the shelves." |
