Swine Flu: Does Hand-Washing Work?

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Health officials are advising people to wash their hands to prevent the spread of swine flu. But does it really work?

Scientists say hand-washing is helpful in preventing the common cold, respiratory infections and viruses that cause diarrhea. But there's no evidence that people can catch the flu virus from germs on their hands, Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology at the University of California at Berkeley, told Newsweek .

Reingold said he believes that the CDC's emphasis on hand-washing as a way for people to protect themselves against the swine flu virus may be too simplistic and thus fail to promote discussion about protective measures that might not be as easy.

"I wouldn't care so much that we might be getting folks to improve handwashing . . . with what is likely to be incorrect information about its ability to prevent influenza" if officials weren't so quick to embrace it as a major preventative measure people should take, Reingold wrote in a note to Newsweek. Reingold said that humans are more likely to get the virus by breathing particles in and therefore surgical masks may be more helpful in protecting people.

Dr. Michael Osterholm of the Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance supported Reingold's concerns. Osterholm cited research in which the H1N1 virus was found to transmit easily in airborne particles.

"We don't want to create a crisis in confidence," Osterholm said, "but we have to be honest: the evidence doesn't show that hand-washing prevents the spread of the influenza virus."

Still the New York Times reports that a recent study found that people have the propensity to touch their faces an average of 47 times per three hours, which increases the chances of germs entering through breaks in the skin and membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth. Another study found washing hands helped prevent someone from getting sick when he had a significant amount of the H1N1 virus deliberately placed on their hands.

The CDC maintains that hand-washing remains a good defense for respiratory infections in general. Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told Newsweek that the CDC believes that "contact precautions are useful with this flu." As for surgical masks, the CDC says in general, it's not recommended for people to wear them . But there are exceptions -- if people catch the H1N1 virus or are caring for someone who does have the virus, they should wear one.