Is Hand Washing Enough to Stop the Spread of Disease?
Date: 14.9.2010
Frequently people give up drying their hands and wipe them on their clothes instead, but hand-hygiene is a key part of infection control and drying hands after washing is a very important part of the process.
A study by researchers at the University of Bradford and published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology looked at different methods of hand drying, and their effect on transfer of bacteria from the hands to other surfaces. The different methods included paper towels, traditional hand dryers, which rely on evaporation, and a new model of hand dryer, which rapidly strips water off the hands using high velocity air jets.
Dr Snelling says: "Good hand hygiene should include drying hands thoroughly and not just washing. The most hygienic method of drying hands is using paper towels or using a hand dryer which doesn't require rubbing your hands together."
Original Paper:
Snelling, A.M., Saville, T., Stevens, D. and Beggs, C.B. Comparative evaluation of the hygienic efficacy of an ultra-rapid hand dryer vs conventional warm air hand dryers. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2010.04838.x
Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100907071353.htm
