The deadly coronavirus has highlighted the crucial importance of keeping ourselves clean. According to the global health authorities, washing our hands for twenty seconds with soap and water can prevent risks of the contagious COVID-19. The pandemic virus has so far killed more than ten thousand affected people around the world. As the infection is continuing to spread, some of the germ transmission that is potentially spreading the nobel virus is happening through in-person interactions. While you must wash your hands frequently after touching objects near you, experts suggest that it might not be enough to curb the infection. A recent study finds that disposable tissues can work better than jet dryers for removing the virus of COVID-19 missed by ineffective hand washing.
The study was conducted by a pool of experts from Britain’s University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. It concluded that if hands are not washed properly, drying them with a paper towel is more effective at removing microbes than any other hand dry technique.
The study included four volunteers whose hands were contaminated using a bacteriophage- a harmless bacteria for humans, and instead of washing their hands, paper towels and jet dryers were used to clean their hands. Later, it was observed that using paper towels and jet dryers reduced the chances of contamination on hands. However, microbes were found ten times higher after using the jet dryers only than the use of paper towels.
Even before the findings of this study, the NHS and World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend the use of disposable towels post hand washing for a minimum of twenty seconds. The organization also mentioned that one must turn off taps to avoid wastage of water.
It is also interesting to mark that healthcare facilities in some countries are still encouraging washing hands using hot water and using jet dryers to kill any breeding bacteria.
“If people do not wash their hands properly then others might be at risk of catching the infection even by standing close to someone using such a jet dryer. This study reinforces the need to wash hands properly so as much virus is removed as possible before drying. Clearly, how much virus remains on people’s hands after washing depends largely on how efficiently people are washing their own hands,” explained Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, in response to the study.
This research was due to be presented at the European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Paris. The event was later called off due to the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus.
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