Hygiene in the News

Bird Flu Health Warning

April 30, 2013 By Carol 1 Comment

There is no evidence that the deadly H7N9 bird flu has yet spread between humans in China but health authorities seem ready for the virus to mutate at any time, a top US virologist has warned. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said officials in China had studied more than 1,000 close contacts of confirmed cases and not found any evidence of human-to-human transmission. What’s bothersome is that there have been cases where no contact to poultry has been found. These cases leave an open door when it comes to the source of infection. "That is powerful evidence because if you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News, UFE Feature Tagged With: Bird, CDC, China, contagion, contagious, dirty, flu, H7N9, infection, outbreak, sanitation

Concerns Grow About New Avian-Flu Strain

April 7, 2013 By Chris 4 Comments

Disease May Move Easily to Humans; U.S. Is Preparing to Develop a Vaccine Concerns about a deadly new strain of bird flu intensified as the disease claimed a sixth life in eastern China and agricultural authorities in Shanghai ordered a wide-scale slaughter of poultry in an effort to stem its spread. The new strain of bird flu has infected 20 people in China. News that a Sixth person died in the outbreak has spread concern overseas. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that 10 infected people had severe cases and two had mild cases of the fatal disease. It reiterated there was no evidence of ongoing human-to-human transmission of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News Tagged With: contagious, flu, hand sanitizers, infection, public bathroom, sanitation, travel, wash hands

Leafy Greens Leading Source Of Food Poisoning Illnesses, CDC Study Shows

March 31, 2013 By Carol 2 Comments

Fresh green vegetable, isolated over white

A CDC government study has fingered leafy greens like lettuce and spinach as the leading source of food poisoning, an awkward conclusion for health officials who have urged Americans to eat healthier and to consume more fruits and vegetables The Centers for Disease Control study found that, in 20% of cases where a person contracted a foodborne illness, leafy green vegetables were the source of the illness. Every year, 1 out of every 6 Americans contracts a foodborne illness. Of those who become ill, 128,000 require a stay in the hospital and another 3,000 die from the illness or related conditions. In Canada our friends to the North, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News, Newest Additions Tagged With: bacteria, food service, hamburger, hand sanitizers, infection, meat, norovirus, poultry, public, restaurant, restroom, wash hands

Salad is more Dangerous than Hamburgers, Health Experts Warn

March 27, 2013 By Jamie 27 Comments

Salad is more dangerous than hamburgers, health experts warn. Salad that is bagged and labeled, “ready to eat is more dangerous than hamburgers”, states food experts. There have been many recent incidents of infections linked to these pre-washed products. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether to re-wash the pre-bagged vegetables or eat them straight from the bag. The interesting lesson here is that the handlers of these products can’t decide themselves. For example some bags of prewashed lettuce recommend that the consumer re-rinse the lettuce themselves whereas other companies claim to have thoroughly washed the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News Tagged With: bacteria, E.coli, flu, food service, infection, Listeria, public, restaurant, salmonella, sanitation, wash hands

DEADLY BACTERIA THAT DEFY DRUGS OF LAST RESORT

March 13, 2013 By Pat 25 Comments

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria with the potential to cause untreatable infections pose "a catastrophic threat" to the population, England's chief medical officer warns in a report calling for urgent action worldwide. The widespread overuse of antibiotics combined with a lack of new types of antibiotics leaves us in a health system that could potentially be similar to the health system in the early 19th century. Antibiotics are failing at an alarming rate while new bacterial diseases have increased dramatically in the last few years. The well-known “Superbugs” MRSA and C difficile have been reduced to low numbers in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Article Honor Roll, Hygiene in the News Tagged With: antibiotic, bacteria, hospital, infection, resistance, super-bug

Deadly SARS-like virus spreading

March 3, 2013 By Carol 35 Comments

A patient admitted to hospital in Saudi Arabia with a new virus from the same family as SARS has died, taking the global death toll from the previously unknown disease to seven. History of SARS and the 2003 Outbreak It is believed that the disease was initially transferred to humans through civets, a mammal with a cat-like appearance. The SARS outbreak actually began in November 2002 in the Guangdong province of mainland China. However, to preserve public confidence, the Chinese government did not inform the World Health Organization (WHO) of the outbreak until February 2003. This new SARS-like virus has seems … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News, Sanitary Travel Tagged With: bats, contagion, deadly, infection, international, new virus, noval coronavirus, SARS, transferred through civets, WHO, worldwide

Why the Push for Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer?

February 16, 2013 By Rex 15 Comments

Hand Sanitizers have been available for over twenty years. As the gooey soap and water substitute has evolved some problems have become apparent with its most important ingredient, Ethyl alcohol. Alcohol has some inherent problems that have posed problems for the makers of Sanitizers. Cost, abuse potential, dryness to hands and time of efficacy are the biggest issues with Alcohol, Sanitizer’s main ingredient. The high cost of the alcohol, the main ingredient in hand Sanitizer has prompted Manufacturers to try formulas with lesser concentrations of Alcohol. This led to decreased efficacy as the alcohol concentration is key to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News, Sanitary Travel Tagged With: alcohol-free, consumption of sanitizers, dry skin, ethyl alcohol, hand sanitizers, sanitation

The Day Hand Sanitizer Jumped The Shark?

November 13, 2012 By Carol 1 Comment

If you are long in the tooth enough to remember the incredibly popular 1970s sitcom Happy Days, you might remember the classic episode where the iconic character Fonzi, played by Henry Winkler, was water skiing and jumped a shark while wearing his trademark black leather bomber jacket. This jumping of the shark marked the beginning of the end for the incredibly popular sitcom. Jumping the shark has become synonymous with loss of momentum; the finality of life of the entity. In other words, “stick a fork in it, it’s done.” For hand sanitizer, this may be the case. Hand sanitizer has led a dubious life since its … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News Tagged With: alcohol, bacteria, Benzalkonium Chloride, hand sanitizers, hand_washing, recall

Honey, Your Car Made Me Sick

November 13, 2012 By Catherine 92 Comments

We all clean our bathrooms and kitchens. We all change our sheets and vacuum our carpets. And since we’re all avid readers of UFE, we now know to regularly disinfect surfaces like phones and keyboards that we use every day. So here’s another one to add to your weekly wipe-down: your car. Most of us use our cars daily, yet when it comes to cleaning we don’t give it the same attention we do other areas. Kitchens and bathrooms are easy to clean because we know they’re dirty, and the same goes for the rest of the house. Functionality alone motivates us to tidy up, put things away – some of us can’t concentrate if even one item is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News Tagged With: automobiles, cars, clean, germs, infection, sick

I scream, you scream, we all scream for…salmonella?

October 20, 2012 By Lee 1 Comment

Alden’s, an ice cream company in Oregon, had to recall their 48 oz. containers of “Peanut Butter ‘n Chip” and their 3 gallon “Cascade Glacier Chocolate Peanut Butter” ice cream flavors due to potentially harmful salmonella from nuts. Stretching across 19 states, this outbreak has caused companies who work with Sunland Inc. to recall some of their products. Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, and Whole Foods are just some of the companies to be on the list. No news on illnesses being linked to the consumption of the ice cream has been reported yet, but if a person has any of these symptoms, they should consult their … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hygiene in the News Tagged With: abdominal pain, CDC, harmful nuts, ice cream, recall, salmonella, sunland

Social

Contribute