Hospital Bacteria
A nasty bacteria call Clostridium difficile or C. diff. is making more hospital patients sick than formally thought. 1 in 100 get it and it leads to severe diarrhea, pain, and nausea. It can also cause failure of the colon and even death. The problem seems to be in all hospitals evenly acrosse the board and the answer or at least part of the answer is better hand washing for hospital staff.
A little over 7,000 patients will get the bacteria and about 300 of them will die from complications related.
The problem with this bacteria is that it can live on hard surfaces for months and the only thing that can kill them is bleach. Hospitals only use bleach when an infection has already broken out.
Most hospitals already have stations in every room of an antibacterial hand washing solution, but this particular bacteria is immune to it. Washing hands with soap and water doesn’t kill them either but what it does is help to rinse the spores off of the hands and down the drains.
Antibacterial Wipes, Friend Or Foe?
The Welsh have done a study concerning three different brands of antibacterial wipes. What they found is that while these wipes do kill bacteria and remove bacteria from the surface wiped, some remaining bacteria still live now transferred to the wipe.
Many people will use the wipe on one surface, pick up live bacteria and use the wipe on another surface transferring the bacteria there. The advice is that you throw the disinfectant wipe away after you’ve cleaned each surface. If you don’t you’re only spreading bacteria.
Remember also that the main culprit in spreading germs are your hands. Wash your hands in warm water and soap. The germs are lifted by the soap and are rinsed away in the running water. Use soap that is not antibacterial because we overuse antibacterial products and are actually strengthening the bacteria that we don’t kill.