Hand sanitizers may not be as effective against influenza

The regular use of hand sanitizers may not have a direct effect on restricting the spread of the swine flu infection according to a recent study.

The study was conducted by experts at the University of Virginia and was sponsored by Dial Corp, who manufacturer such hand sanitizers. The findings of the study were documented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Boston.

Impact

Surprisingly, the findings of the study revealed that hand sanitizers may not have had an overwhelming effect on the spreading of flu. “We all thought if you used hand disinfectants, it would have an impact,” said Dr. Ronald Turner who is a professor of pediatrics and associate dean for clinical research at the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine.

The research team used two groups of participants as part of their study. One group was asked to use a disinfectant every three hours over a 10 week period, whilst the other group did not use any hand sanitizer.

Of the group who used sanitizer, 42% contracted rhinovirus infections, compared to 51% in the control group. They also found that 12% of the group who used the sanitizer contracted influenza, compared to 15% in the other group.

Protection against the virus

This led Dr. Turner to conclude that “the hand treatment also did not significantly reduce the frequency of illnesses caused by the viruses”.

The authors of the study stated that “the results of this study suggest that hand transmission maybe less important for the spread of rhinovirus than previously believed”. They went on to add that the findings of the research suggest “that protection from infection with these viruses may require increased attention to aerosol transmission of virus”.

Of course, there are other ways to prevent against the spread of influenza. Anybody who is concerned about anything to do with swine flu is advised to visit a medical professional to discuss any issues.