With chilly weather on its way in the Northern Hemisphere, it's time to remind you how important it is to keep your immune system strong by taking preventative measures, none of which have anything to do with a toxic drug, against colds and the flu. A new study from the University of Virginia vividly describes why one of the easiest steps you can take -- washing your hands -- is one of the most important things you can do while traveling.
To determine how long viruses survive in common settings, 15 patients with rhinovirus colds spent the night in a hotel room. Afterward, researchers tested 10 common objects -- among them door handles, pens, light switches and phones -- for signs of contamination.
No surprise, seven doorknobs, six pens, TV remotes and door switches and five phones tested positive for the cold virus, as did alarm clocks, shower curtains and coffee makers. Overall, more than a third of the things patients touched in their hotel rooms were infected with a virus. If this makes you squeamish about staying in a hotel room, I don't blame you...
The important thing to remember about playing "keepaway" from colds and the flu: Stay away from antibacterial soaps especially those containing triclosan that create germs resistant to other soaps.
Yahoo News September 29, 2006