Avoiding the 'yuk' factor on Global Handwashing Day

15 October 2010

Handwashing is one of the simplest ways of preventing illnesses such as food poisoning and flu. On Global Handwashing Day (October 15th 2010) the Health Protection Agency (HPA) wants to remind people to soap up and remove bugs to protect both their health and that of others.

The purpose of handwashing as a way of preventing infection is to remove dirt, viruses and bacteria from hands, and so to stop these from being spread from person to person or being spread around the environment - which can lead to illness. This is an effective way of protecting yourself and others if hands are washed after using the toilet, before eating or handling food, and after handling animals. No special products are necessary to be effective in most situations and the HPA recommends using liquid soap and water and then drying the hands.

There are many research studies that show that both gastrointestinal infections and influenza can be prevented by practicing good hand hygiene.

The importance of handwashing, and the consequence of failure to do so has been amply demonstrated by the many studies from around the world that have found faecal contamination in everyday foods and on surfaces in catering establishments and in nurseries, indicating a lack of handwashing practice.

This contamination is picked up through the presence of certain bacteria such as E.coli - which are known to cause food poisoning. Survey results have found bacterial contamination in a variety of different sources such as salads and sauces from kebab shops, from ice cubes and lemon slices in restaurants and dirty hands have also contaminated surfaces such as carpets and shopping bags.

Although most people will be aware of the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet, research has revealed that not all people do it, with men generally being more likely to be the guilty party. A study in 2008 found that a large number of commuters hands' tested in UK cities were contaminated with faecal bacteria.

Professor Mike Catchpole, an expert in the causes of infectious disease and Head of the HPA's national Epidemiology and Surveillance team, said: "I'm sure most people when they hear of faecal contamination in foods and on surfaces think 'yuk, that's disgusting' but unfortunately the truth is that not all people consistently wash their hands after going to the toilet or before handling food. I'm sure we have all been in a public toilet and seen other people briefly passing their fingers underneath the taps without using soap but this not sufficient to remove dirt, viruses or bacteria.

"The HPA wants to remind people on Global Handwashing Day that there are few things that are as cheap and effective at preventing disease as handwashing so we encourage everyone to lather up to kill the bugs.

"Parents also have a very important role to play in ensuring their children are given good advice at home - children are particularly at risk of picking up infections and spreading them to other people."

Ends

Notes to editors

*The Dirty Hands Study formed part of the first Global Handwashing Day.

References and further studies:

A study in 1995 showed that carpets in schools were a source of faecal contamination as children spend a lot of time on the floor.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2271594/pdf/epidinfect00054-0148.pdf
In 2009 a study of messages displayed in service stations toilets showed that people are more likely to wash their hands when they have been shamed into it. The study was carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The abstract is available below.
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/S2/S405
The year 2008 revealed that Northerners' hands were up to 3 times dirtier than those living in the South.
This was a preliminary study carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/news/2008/dirtyhandsstudy.html
A study in the US found levels of faecal contaminants, mould, yeast and coliforms on reusable plastic bags.
http://www.llu.edu/public-health/news/news-grocery-bags-bacteria.page
A study by LACORS/HPA Co-ordinated Food Liaison Group Studies looked at the Microbiological Quality of Salad Vegetables and Sauces from Kebab Takeaway Restaurants. E.coli, a sign of faecal contamination, was found in five per cent of samples.
http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1236155255969 (PDF file)
A study of American men at a baseball park in the US found that only two thirds of men washed their hands after using the toilet.
http://www.microbeworld.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=483&Itemid=243
A study of soda fountains in the US found faecal contaminants in 48 per cent of the beverages tested.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-4XMKB25-3&_user=1371646&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000052464&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1371646&md5=7dbcdf03b8c124900f72cdc877326978#aff1
The London Evening Standard looked at snacks taken from various London hotels which revealed a mixed bag of results with E.coli (a sign of faecal contamination) being present in some samples. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-7511916-hidden-germs-in-our-snacks.do
In 2003 an HPA study from its Specialist and Reference Microbiology Division found faecal bacteria in 44 per cent of samples from ice buckets and machines taken from restaurants.
Science Professor Anne LaGrange Loving at the Passaic County Community College found faecal contamination in lemon slices. Results of the study were published in the Journal of Environmental Health in December 2007
http://www.pccc.edu/uploads/Xu/1x/Xu1xPvHvoXeYex8Gf1Uh0Q/JEH_Dec_07_with_Copyright.pdf

About the Health Protection Agency

The Health Protection Agency's role is to provide an integrated approach to protecting the UK public from infectious diseases and other dangers to health.

The HPA Centre of Infections (CfI) remit includes infectious disease surveillance, providing specialist and reference microbiology and microbial epidemiology, co-ordinating the investigation and cause of national and uncommon outbreaks, helping advise government on the risks posed by various infections and responding to international health alerts.

For more information or media enquiries only please telephone the HPA press office on:

Louise Brown   020 8327 7080
Eleanor Bunch   020 8327 7751
Kathryn Swan   020 8327 7097
Georgina Fletcher  020 8327 6690
Emma Gilgunn Jones  020 8327 6647

Last reviewed: 15 October 2010