Wednesday, May 29, 2002

Stay healthy and enjoy your fun in the sun

Proper hand hygiene is key

Don't let the sunshine and warm weather stop you from protecting yourself and your family against germs. Health experts estimate that 80 percent of infectious diseases are spread by hand contact. When more of us are outside longer, proper hand hygiene is key to staying healthy.

Being outside while it is warm means you're in contact with more people and more germs in places like playgrounds, rest stops, bathrooms, amusement parks, campsites and the beach. In fact, researchers at the University of Arizona have found that playground surfaces were contaminated with higher levels of filth than public bathroom surfaces.

"For some reason, people tend to harbor a false sense of security while outdoors when it comes to germs," said Charles Gerba, MD, University of Arizona. "If they really thought about it, though, they would realize that indoor surfaces are usually cleaned-at least every so often. Many outdoor surfaces aren't."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that hand hygiene is the single most important way to prevent the spread of infection. However, when you are on-the-go and outdoors, it's not always convenient or possible to run to a sink and wash your hands. In fact, 40 percent of the time when consumers should clean their hands, soap and water are not available. There is an easy way to get rid of the germs that may make you sick: carry a bottle of instant hand sanitizer.

Alcohol-based instant hand sanitizers, like Purell, kill 99.99 percent of germs that may cause illness in as little as 15 seconds, without water. Hand sanitizers are just as effective as soap and water and they are gentler on the hands. Health care and food service industries have used Purell for over 15 years to supplement employee hand washing.

For more information, visit www.healthyhandsusa.com.