Public Transport is literally a load of ....

[disgusted]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7667499.stm

 

More than one in four commuters has bacteria from faeces on their hands, an investigation suggests.

 

Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine swabbed 409 people at bus and train stations in five major cities in England and Wales.

 

The further north they went, the more often they found commuters with faecal bacteria on their hands - men in Newcastle were the worst offenders.

 

Experts stressed the importance of hand hygiene for preventing illness.

 

The bacteria found suggested people were not washing their hands properly after using the toilet, said the researchers.

 

 

In Newcastle and Liverpool, men were more likely than women to show contamination - 53% of men compared with 30% of women in Newcastle and 36% of men compared with 31% of women in Liverpool.

 

We were flabbergasted by the finding that so many people had faecal bugs on their hands

Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

 

In the other three cities - London, Cardiff and Birmingham - the women's hands were dirtier.

 

People who had used the bus had higher rates of hand contamination than those who had used the train.

 

Manual workers had cleaner hands than other professionals, students, retired people or the unemployed.

 

Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We were flabbergasted by the finding that so many people had faecal bugs on their hands.

 

"The figures were far higher than we had anticipated, and suggest that there is a real problem with people washing their hands in the UK.

 

DIRTY HANDS

bus stop

Newcastle - men 53%, women 30%

Liverpool - men 36%, women 31%

Birmingham - men 21%, women 26%

Cardiff - men 15%, women 29%

Euston (London) - men 6%, women 21%

 

"If any of these people had been suffering from a diarrhoeal disease, the potential for it to be passed around would be greatly increased by their failure to wash their hands after going to the toilet."

 

Professor Mike Catchpole, director of the Health Protection Agency's Centre for Infections, said: "These results are startling and should be enough to make anyone reach for the soap.

 

"It is well known that hand washing is one of the most important ways of controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea and vomiting, colds and flu.

 

"People should always wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating or handling food, and after handling animals. And remember to cover all cuts and scratches with a waterproof dressing."

 

Winter vomiting

 

The HPA's monitoring of infections over recent weeks suggests that cases of norovirus - the winter vomiting bug - are rising and that the annual norovirus season is likely to have begun.

 

Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disease in the UK with peak activity in terms of numbers of cases and outbreaks during the winter months, from October to March.

 

It has been estimated that between 600,000 and a million people in the UK are affected each year.

 

Professor Catchpole said: "Norovirus is highly infectious and easily spread in settings where people are in close contact with one another so good hygiene, including frequent handwashing, is really important."

 

The study was part of the world's first Global Hand-washing Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance hand hygiene plays in public health.

[Geoffrey Settle]

Well I'll be wearing my gloves from now on wherever I go.

[Dizzy]

Yeuch

 

However the title of this thread is a little bit misleading. The 'problem' will be found everywhere and not just on public transport.

 

I would imagine the 'germ' levels are much worse in a lot of other public places such as shops (I bet cloths hangers never get washed as one example). Childrens play areas, especially the indoor type must be rife with all sorts of germs from both ends

 

I recon the worst places must be schools (although maybe it could be libraries cos you can't wash books)

[disgusted]

Yeuch

 

However the title of this thread is a little bit misleading. The 'problem' will be found everywhere and not just on public transport.

 

I would imagine the 'germ' levels are much worse in a lot of other public places such as shops (I bet cloths hangers never get washed as one example). Childrens play areas, especially the indoor type must be rife with all sorts of germs from both ends

 

I recon the worst places must be schools (although maybe it could be libraries cos you can't wash books)

or perhaps banks..........think of how many hands any note or coin passes through

[wolfie]

Public toilets may well be on the list

[Dizzy]

or perhaps banks..........think of how many hands any note or coin passes through

 

With the current credit crunch and economic crisis we won't have to worry for too much longer about germ from money or banks Joking aside you are of course right.

 

Does money get laundered on a regular basis before it is passed on

 

Public toilets may well be on the list

 

Now I understand why they've closed the public loos in our village then. Far more hygenic to have to pee etc in a church yard or on the street than to have to open a door or flush a loo handle without possibly washing your hands first

[wolfie]

Far more hygenic to have to pee etc in a church yard

 

That's church headstones on the list then

[Dizzy]

 

I guess not many people actually touch headstones

 

Perhaps any new headstones should also incorporate toilet roll holders and 'number two' plastic bags as standard so at least the offenders can take their waste home with them when they are caught short

[Bazj]

I thought they shut them because strange un-natural men were having sex in them with each other!

[Dizzy]

Hope they washed their hands

[observer]

Actually Baz, that was one of the main reasons for the closure of our public toilets - interesting to see that the Chief Constable of Lancashire is now saying the Police should turn a blind eye to sex in parks and public toilets - WHY? For fear of alientaing the Gay community!

[Bazj]

Maybe the Police should actually "Police" instead of capitulating to every minority and wierdo group imaginable.

 

Gay sex behind closed doors isn't a problem if thats what they want to do, as long it is a closed bedroom door and not a closed bog door!

[observer]

Believe the Police and PC politicians now use the term - "policing with consent" - errm, didn't know policing was a popularity contest!