Man against microbe -the importance of paper towels for hand hygiene

摘要

We all understand the importance of basic hygiene -of washing our hands after certain activities -and indeed the method of washing itself is worthy of an article in its own right: some do a quick flick under a tap, others brush the soap and give a quick rub, while the conscientious lather up and scrub as if preparing for an operating theatre. For example, in a study of 1997 performed by the University of Westminster, of the 68% of users of a public toilet who bothered to wash their hands, over half used no soap! In among these extremes are differences between the sexes, and between countries -but as they say, that is for another day.