One in Four British People Have Faeces on Their Hands

Many people ignore toilet hygiene, having their hands contaminated with faecal bacteria, the recent study revealed.

Scientists took the swabs of the hands of 409 commuters at bus stops outside railway stations in five cities in Britain. Laboratory analysis of the swabs showed that more than a quarter of them had faecal bacteria on their hands. As much as 28 percent of volunteers had such common bacteria as Enterococcus, E coli, Klebsiella and Panteoa that may lead to infectious diseases.

The study revealed the higher percentage of men in the north of Britain having dirty hands in comparison to those who live in the south. For example, 34 percent of men in Liverpool had faecal bacteria identified on their hands, while 21 percent of men in Birmingham, 15 percent in Cardiff and 7 percent of Londoners were found to have contaminated hands.

There was not such variation in female toilet hygiene with 27 percent of British women on average having dirty hands.

It was also discovered that bus passengers were twice as likely to have contaminated hands as train commuters.

Bacteria can survive around two or three hours on the surface after a person with contaminated hands contacts it. Today infectious intestinal diseases are known to cause a great number of deaths among children all around the world.

Ironically, the statistics appeared on the same day as the Global Hand-Washing Day was marked. The event is aimed at encouraging hands washing in order to prevent infectious diseases and is usually promoted in developing countries.

Source: News.Medical.Net