- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- New Spray Could Benefit Cystic Fibrosis Patients
- Folic Acid Might Offer Allergy Relief
- Using Music and Sports to Improve Kids' Asthma
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes
- Massage Fosters Healing in Bereaved Relatives
- Acupuncture Cuts Dry Mouth in Cancer Patients
- ANIMAL CARE
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- New Clues to How Fish Oils Help Arthritis Patients
- Study Examines How Rheumatoid Arthritis Destroys Bone
- Almost Half of Adults Will Develop Knee Osteoarthritis by 85
- CANCER
- Yoga Eases Sleep Problems Among Cancer Survivors
- To Quit Smoking, Try Logging On
- Multiple Screening Strategy Boosts Cervical Cancer Detection
- CAREGIVING
- New Guidelines for Treating Heart Failure
- Many Hospital Patients Can't ID Their Doctors
- Diabetes Epidemic Now Poses Challenges for Nursing Homes
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- Review Confirms Links Between Diet, Heart Health
- Years of Exposure to Traffic Pollution Raises Blood Pressure
- COSMETIC
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gummy Bears Join Cavity Fight
- Acupuncture May Ease Anxiety Over Dental Work
- An Oral Approach to Heart Disease
- DIABETES
- Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good
- 24 Million Americans Had Diabetes in 2007
- Spices, Herbs Boost Health for Diabetics
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Fasting on Alternate Days May Make Dieting Easier
- Eating Free Range
- Trans Fat Labeling Gets Tricky
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Air Quality Better in Northeast, Midwest
- Genetics, Environment Shape Sexual Behavior
- Walkable Neighborhoods Keep the Pounds Off
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Too Much Sun, Too Few Antioxidants Spell Eye Trouble
- Music Can Help Restore Stroke Patients' Sight
- Magnetic Pulses to Brain Improve Lazy Eye in Adults
- FITNESS
- Keep Safety in Mind While Your Kids Are Cooling Off in the Water
- Go To Work But Skip The Car
- Resistance Training Boosts Mobility in Knee Arthritis Patients
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Good Sleepers More Likely to Eat Right
- Vitamin E Helps Treat Common Liver Disease
- Adults Need To Get Thier Food Facts Straight
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Magnet Therapy May Ease Hard-to-Treat Depression
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Western Diet Linked To Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome
- Chinese Red Yeast Rice May Prevent Heart Attack
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Dry Weather Boosts Odds of Flu Outbreaks
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- KID'S HEALTH
- Guard Kids' Eyes Against Long-Term Sun Damage
- Keep Safety in Mind While Your Kids Are Cooling Off in the Water
- Childhood Dairy Intake Boosts Bone Health Later On
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Exercise May Prevent Prostate Cancer: Study Shows
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- Low Iron Levels Cut Cancer Risk in Men With PAD
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Shop 'Til You Drop: You May Feel Better
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- Psychotherapy Can Boost Happiness More Than Money
- PREGNANCY
- Obesity May Affect Fertility in Young Womene
- Acupuncture May Ease Depression During Pregnancy
- Exercise Boosts Bone Density in Breast-Feeding Moms
- SENIORS
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- High-Impact Activity May Be Good for Old Bones
- Keeping Mentally Active Seems To Keep The Brain Active
Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
By eHolistic.com Published: 09/23/2009
(HealthDay News) -- Medications, personal hygiene, mask-wearing and quarantines all help prevent the spread of viral infections such as the flu, and researchers now suggest that the latter three strategies should be given more attention in plans to deal with pandemics.
In an update of a 2007 study, Dr. Tom Jefferson of the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group in Rome, Italy, and colleagues reviewed the results of 59 studies that looked at the effectiveness of strategies to reduce the spread of viral germs that cause respiratory diseases such as the flu and SARS. The new review appears online Sept. 22 in BMJ.
The researchers looked at studies that compared a number of strategies (quarantine/isolation, distancing sick people from healthy people through other methods, better hygiene) with other interventions, or doing nothing.
The review found that wearing gloves, gowns and masks is effective, and so is hand washing more than 10 times a day. The strategies are even more effective when people use more than one of them.
Jefferson's team also found that the highest quality studies reported that the spread of diseases can be lowered through hygiene in households and among young children.
The researchers found only limited evidence that so-called N95 facial masks, which are uncomfortable and expensive, are better than simple surgical masks.
Also, they noted that it is unclear whether people need to add antiseptics to normal soap and water.
The researchers called for national school programs to encourage hand washing and stressed that gloves, gowns, masks and isolation of certain patients are all appropriate when there's high risk that the respiratory diseases will spread.
"More resources should be invested into studying which physical interventions are the most effective, flexible and cost-effective means of minimizing the impact of acute respiratory tract infections," the study authors concluded.
SOURCES: BMJ, news release, Sept. 22, 2009
