24.8.09

Water and Soap vs Alcohol based Hand Sanitizers


Water was the most effective at removing stomach bug viruses from the hands, Emory University researchers find.

They planted stomach bug viruses on volunteers' fingers and allowed them to dry. The results, presented this week at the American Society for Microbiology Meeting in Orlando, Fla., showed the percentage of the viruses removed by water, hand soap, and alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Water removed 96 percent of the virus; liquid antibacterial soap removed 88 percent; and the hand sanitizer removed only 46 percent.

Whilst the Who World Health Organisation state in the hand hygiene paper that Alcohol

Alcohols are rapidly germicidal when applied to the skin, but have no appreciable persistent (residual) activity. However, regrowth of bacteria on the skin occurs slowly after use of alcohol-based hand antiseptics, presumably because of the sub-lethal effect alcohols have on some of the skin bacteria. They go on to advise that the sanitisers should have a minumum of 60% level of alcohol.

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