All the scary news flying around about swine flu got us wondering: Are we safe from these germs at the gym? Never fear, an answer is here, courtesy of infectious disease expert, Mark Wilson, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health: “Risk in a gym should be no greater than in any other group context of similar size and interaction,” he says of the influenza virus (aka: H1N1). “Indeed, it might be less in gyms because people who are feeling ill probably won’t want to exercise and will stay home!” Make your session even safer with a few simple strategies:

Four smart steps to stay germ-free at the gym–no mask required!

A Clean off the equipment: The treadmill panel, elliptical handles, strength machine grips, dumbbells, mats, there’s no shortage of surfaces that someone could have unintentionally infected by sneezing or coughing on it. Prevent picking up those germs by wiping off and squirting any area you’ll touch with one of the disinfectant sprays the gym should have handy on the floor.

Wash hands before, and after, your workout: Viruses like H1N1 are introduced into your body when you rub your eyes, nose or mouth, so keep hands as clean as possible to cut your risk of infection. Scrubbing with liquid soap is best–and temperature doesn’t matter, but time does: rub hands under running water for at least 20 seconds (hum “Happy Birthday” twice if you don’t like counting!). To be extra-safe, tote a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer like Purell to the gym along with your water and use liberally.

Don’t skip the shower: “For many infectious diseases, the one hygienic factor that seems most protective is showering,” adds Wilson’s colleague, Professor Jim Koopman. “Microbes that get on your skin, in many different ways, can get washed off by showers.” Still fret about athlete’s foot? Get over it says Koopman: “You’re more likely to get organisms off your skin that you have picked up in the gym by showering than you are to pick up an organism in the shower.”

Keep your distance in class: “People can be infectious a day or so before showing symptoms, so it can be difficult to tell if they’re ill,” says Wilson. To keep contamination free, remain far enough away from fellow dancers or bootcampers that droplets from a surprise sneeze or cough that they may let loose can’t hit you.

Source (article): SELFMAGAZINE

Source (picture): BLOGS.REUTERS

Americans hit the gym in search of bigger arms, massive chests and smaller waists, but many don’t know that gyms are hotbeds for germs.

ABC News conducted a test to find out just how many germs people could encounter when working out.

Dr. Philip Tierno, a microbiologist, said that the large number of people, exposed skin, and sweat present at gyms could be perfect for spreading infections.

“You’re not using that one machine exclusively for yourself,” Tierno said. “You’re leaving that machine, and someone else follows you and your germs that you leave behind. Eighty percent of all infectious disease is transmitted by contact.”

Tierno said that if a sick person used a machine, the person who used it next and then touched their eyes or mouth could get sick.

ABC News staffers took swabs to almost every piece of gym equipment they used and brought the samples to Tierno’s lab at New York University Hospital.

Tierno found the germs staph aureus, klebsiella, enterobacter and E. coli, which can cause various ailments.

Risky Machines

Tierno said the highest risk areas at the gym were machines used by “multiple people in quick sequence, such as dumbbells, seats where people may bike, or where people may sit down to lift weights.”

For example, on a lateral pull-down machine, ABC News found bacillus, which comes from the soil.

It most likely came from someone’s shoes. On an exercise bike, ABC News found sarcinia, candida specie, staphylococcus epi and diptheroids.

The worst place of all was the shower floor.

“Unfortunately, germs do survive in the shower, on walls, and on the floor,” Tierno said. “I found it in hordes — unbelievable quantities. We use the word ‘innumerable.’ Innumerable.”

According to Tierno, E. coli and many of the other germs found by ABC News won’t necessarily make you sick.

“You wear your little slippers, and you’re OK,” Tierno said. “But just as easily as those nonpathogenic germs touch those surfaces, we can have more pathogenic forms touch them. That’s the point.”

Source (article): ABCNEWS

Source (picture): HEALTH-NEWS-BLOG

You may scrub your toilet and countertops until they shine, but when it comes to the war between you and germs, consider yourself outnumbered. Germs (the catch-all name for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms) are everywhere—at home, in the office, even in your car. Luckily, about 99 percent of them can’t harm us. But the other 1 percent can be annoying, uncomfortable, or downright scary: Most of these pathogens are either viral or bacterial and can cause everything from a runny nose to a potentially life-threatening infection.

You may think you know the obvious places that germs propagate—the doctor’s office, the soles of your shoes—but many more germ-friendly locales are completely unexpected yet no less dangerous. We uncovered a host of surprising new spots where germs like to lurk, and offer easy solutions to keep you and your family safe and healthy.

Hot spot: The kitchen faucet

That metal aeration screen at the end of your kitchen faucet reduces water flow, which is good for the environment, but not so much for your health: Running water keeps the screen moist, an ideal condition for bacteria growth. Because tap water is far from sterile, if you accidentally touch the screen with dirty fingers or food, bacteria can grow on the faucet, explains microbiologist Kelly Reynolds, Ph.D., an associate professor of community environment and policy at the University of Arizona College of Public Health. Over time, bacteria build up and form a wall of pathogens called biofilm that sticks to the screen. “Eventually, that biofilm may even be big enough to break off and get onto your food or dishes,” she notes.

Keep it clean: Once a week, remove the screen and soak it in a diluted bleach solution—follow the directions on the bottle’s label. Replace the screen, and let the water run a few minutes before using.

Hot spot: The garbage disposal

That raw chicken or spinach you’re rinsing for dinner is often loaded with harmful bacteria, which can make the young, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system seriously ill. In fact, there are often more than 500,000 bacteria in the kitchen sink—about 1,000 times more than the average toilet has. Although the metal part of the disposal produces ions that can help kill germs, they still love to grow on the crevices in and around the slimy rubber stopper. That means your disposal can become party central for bacteria, contaminating whatever touches it—dishes, utensils, even your hands.

Keep it clean: At least once a week, clean the disposal’s rubber stopper with a diluted bleach solution—soap and water aren’t enough.

Hot spot: The welcome mat

It serves to greet not only your guests but also all the bugs on the bottoms of their shoes. One study found that nearly 96 percent of shoe soles had traces of coliform, which includes fecal bacteria. “The area near your front door is one of the dirtiest in the house,” says Reynolds. Once bacteria plant their stakes in your mat, anytime you walk on it, you give them a free ride into your home.

Keep it clean: Spray the doormat once a week with a fabric-safe disinfectant (such as Lysol Disinfectant Spray). Leave shoes at the door, and avoid resting bags and groceries on the mat, too.

Hot spot: Your vacuum cleaner

“Vacuums—including the brushes and bags—are like meals-on-wheels for bacteria,” says Charles Gerba, Ph.D., professor of environmental biology at the University of Arizona. “You suck in all this bacteria and food, creating an atmosphere for growth.” A recent study by Gerba and his team found that 13 percent of all vacuum cleaner brushes tested positive for E. coli, which means you could spread it around the house each time you use the appliance.

Keep it clean: Change your vacuum bag frequently, and do so outdoors to avoid the cloud of bacteria that filters into the air. (Vacuum bags that feature antibacterial linings are best, and are available for many major brands.) Clean the cavity of a bagless vacuum with diluted bleach and let it air-dry.

Hot spot: A dish towel

You know a sponge can harbor nasty germs, but a recent study of hundreds of homes across the United States found that about 7 percent of kitchen towels were contaminated with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the difficult-to-treat staph bacteria that can cause life-threatening skin infections. Dish towels also rated tops for dangerous strains of E. coli and other bacteria. We often use towels to wipe up spills, says Reynolds, then reuse before washing them, which spreads germs.

Keep it clean: Stick to paper towels to clean countertops, and save the dishrag to dry just-washed pots and plates. Change towels or launder at least twice a week in hot water and bleach.

Hot spot: Your car’s dashboard

In tests of 100 vehicles from across the United States, the dashboard was found to be the second-most-common spot for bacteria and mold. (Food spills were number one.) The researchers’ rationale: When air—which carries mold spores and bacteria—gets sucked in through the vents, it’s often drawn to the dashboard, where it can deposit the spores and germs. Because the dashboard receives the most sun and tends to stay warm, it’s prime for growth.

Keep it clean: Regularly swipe the inside of your car with disinfecting wipes. Be more vigilant during allergy season—about 20 million Americans are affected by asthma, which is caused in part by an allergic reaction to mold.

Hot spot: Soap dispensers

Soap that harbors bacteria may sound ironic, but one recent study found that about 25 percent of liquid soap dispensers in public restrooms were contaminated by fecal bacteria. “Most of these containers are never cleaned, so bacteria grows as the soap scum builds up,” says Gerba. “And the bottoms are touched by dirty hands, so there’s a continuous culture going on feeding millions of bacteria.”

Keep it clean: Be sure to scrub hands thoroughly for 15 to 20 seconds with plenty of hot water—and if you have an alcohol gel disinfectant, use that, too.

Hot spot: Restaurant ketchup bottle

It’s the rare eatery that regularly bleaches down condiment containers. And the reality is that many people don’t wash their hands before eating, says Reynolds. So while you may be diligent, the guy who poured the ketchup before you may not have been, which means his germs are now on your fries.

Keep it clean: Squirt hand sanitizer on the outside of the bottle or use a disinfectant wipe before you grab it. Holding the bottle with a napkin won’t help—they’re porous, so microorganisms can seep right through, says Reynolds.

Hot spot: The refrigerator seal

A University of Arizona survey of 160 homes in three U.S. cities found that the seal around the fridge tested positive 83 percent of the time for common molds. The mold can spread every time the refrigerator door opens—exposing anyone who’s susceptible to allergies, and potentially contaminating the food.

Keep it clean: Wipe fridge seals at least once a week with a diluted bleach solution or disinfectant.

Hot spot: Your cell phone

You probably put it down any place that’s convenient, but consider this: Several studies on cell phones and PDAs found that they carry tons of bacteria, including staph (which can cause skin infections), pseudomonas (eye infections), and salmonella (stomach ailments). Many electronic devices are sheathed in leather or vinyl cases, which provide plenty of creases and crevices for germs to hide.

Keep it clean: Use a disinfecting wipe a few times a week, and be conscious of where you rest personal items.

SOURCE: HEALTH.MSN.COM

PARIS (AFP) — Scientists said on Sunday they had exposed key workings of a deadly superbug that has become one of the biggest nightmares for hospitals today, opening up paths for new drugs or vaccines to roll back the peril.

Clostridium difficile ranks alongside Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a hospital threat, inflicting a rising toll each year as it spreads insidiously through health facilities.

Known as “C-diff,” the bug comprises a bacterium that comes in a spore, or a hardy shell-like jacket. It naturally colonises the gut, but is not a problem for people who are healthy as it is kept in check by other intestinal bacteria.

But when antibiotics are used to treat someone who is sick, the drugs can wipe out the “good” bacteria, which leaves C. difficile to multiply uncontrolled.

As the germ reproduces, it releases toxins that cause severe diarrhoea, sometimes fatally, and colitis that can need surgical removal of the colon.

In a study published in the journal Nature, microbiologists in the United States reported that they had identified which of the two toxins released by C-diff does the big damage.

“For 20 years, we have been focusing on Toxin A. But it turns out the real culprit is Toxin B,” said researcher Dale Gerding of Loyola University in Chicago.

“This is a major finding in how C-diff causes disease in humans,” he said in a press release released by the university.

“It completely flips our whole concept of what the important toxin is with the disease.”

The team devised separate strains of the two toxins and tested them on hamsters.

Separately, scientists at Imperial College London have used X-ray crystallography to produce the first high-resolution images of the germ’s protective jacket.

The work, published in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Microbiology, is important because it opens up a theoretical path for drugs that crack open the shield, disabling the bacterium inside.

C-diff is resistant to many types of antibiotics and can bounce back in a patient who has fallen sick with the germ. In addition, the jacket makes it easily transportable on surfaces and hands.

It causes about half a million cases of sickness, and between 15,000 and 20,000 deaths, in the United States each year, the Loyola University press release said.

SOURCE: AFP

OMAHA (KPTM)- If you take a walk around the Nebraska Medical Center these days, you’ll notice a crucial instrument missing from the necks of the doctors and nurses that work there… a stethoscope.

Nearly two weeks ago, the Med Center told doctors and nurses to leave their own stethoscopes at home - that instead, a brand new one would be provided to them in all hospital rooms as part of a new policy to help reduce hospital born infections. “It makes obvious sense to people.

When they hear about this project, they’re like, ‘yeah! Why haven’t we already done this?’” said Dr. Mark Rupp who introduced the idea to Med Center doctors. Since February 3rd, the heart of the hospital has been going strong with it’s individual stethoscope campaign. “It’s a really good stethoscope, and the doctors are pleased with it. They can listen to the heart and lungs just like they want to,” said Rupp.

In each of the 500 hospital rooms, patients are given their own stethoscope, which Rupp says decreases their chances of getting hospital born infections from bacteria that can grow on the surface of a stethoscope. “Rather than just get contaminated, and go from patient to patient, it stays there and is disinfected when that person is discharged from the hospital.” Which is good news for recovering surgery patients like Gina Behr, who can’t risk getting an infection. “I think it’s great because I don’t feel like I’m getting stuff from the next person’s room or gown.

These I’ve seen cleaned more than anybody ever cleans their stethoscope,” said Behr. Each of the stethoscopes cost about $100, and were paid for by the hospital. Doctor Rupp says, he hopes all hospitals across the Omaha metro adopt this same method.

Clean out your closet, take a peek under the bed and ask your friends and family – chances are, you’ll find a few pairs of kicks lying around that have seen better days.

When it’s time to say goodbye, bring your athletic shoes to any Reuse-A-Shoe drop-off location – there are more than 300 around the world, and you can find one near you using the map on the right. Keep in mind, an individual person can bring up to 10 pairs of shoes at one time – more might overwhelm our collection bins.

If you’re not near a drop-off location, you can also mail your worn-out sneakers to our recycling facility – but please, only mail your shoes if you have to, as shipping small numbers of shoes to our facility creates a larger carbon footprint.

To ship your shoes, download an address label, or mail them to:

Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070

Want to do even more? Reuse-A-Shoe also supports a small number of larger athletic shoe drives each year. Find out more about group recycling.

By Sarah Scrafford

Although average, healthy people generally do not need to worry about picking up germs, dirt, and diseases from everyday objects, it doesn’t hurt to be careful about limiting your (or that of your loved ones) contact with potential bacterial breeding grounds. The objects you touch every day are potentially loaded with nasties like fecal matter, e. coli, and salmonella. To stay safe, be sure to make a regular habit of washing your hands, be careful about touching your mouth and eyes, and avoid touching these objects as much as you can.

The Office

Your office is a landmine of germs. Here are a few things you should be wary of.

1. Mouse: If you work on your computer throughout the day, germs from everything you’ve touched now live on your mouse, a device that is rarely cleaned.
2. Desktop: You may think the cleaning crew is taking care of it, but most offices have instructions not to clean desktops because people don’t want their papers messed with.
3. Keyboard: Take a hard look at your keyboard and think of the last time you cleaned it. Now think about everything you touch every day, and all of the people who sneeze, cough, or just sit at your computer.
4. Hands: With the office comes handshakes, which leave you susceptible to whatever germs others have to share.
5. Copier: Your sneezing coworker’s virus germs can live on the copier for up to 72 hours.
6. Telephone: Has anyone used your phone recently? Their saliva and germs from their hands are all over your telephone.
7. Candy bowl: The office candy bowl is full of germs, with everyone putting their hands in and sharing what they have. What’s worse, those germs will come into direct contact with your mouth when you eat the candy.
8. The coffee machine: Bacteria and viruses from others’ coffee cups and hands contaminate the office coffee pot.
9. Fax machine: Just like the copier, your office fax machine is a germy breeding ground.

Out and About

Once you leave the office, you’re far from safe from germs. Here we’ll take a look at the dirty objects you come into contact with while shopping, working out, eating, and just living your life.

1. ATM: Germs from the dirty fingertips of every customer before you will wait to greet you at your bank’s ATM.
2. Steering wheel: When you get in the car, one of the first things you’ll touch is your steering wheel-and you’ll leave plenty of germs behind to pick up later.
3. Public reading material: The magazines at your hairdresser’s and your doctor’s office are more than likely never cleaned, and they’re touched by multiple people every day.
4. Restaurant menus: Menus are very rarely washed, but they’re touched by everyone. So many people have touched restaurant menus before you have, you could be getting germs from hundreds of people.
5. Public pens: The pen at your bank, your doctor’s office, and the checkout have all been touched by many, many people before you.
6. Escalator: The escalator is home to hundreds, even thousands of different hands, diapered bottoms, and more.
7. Gas pump: It’s best to wash your hands after pumping gas, as the handle has been touched by numerous gas guzzlers before you.
8. Taxi: Taxis are often home to fecal organisms, and even oral bacterium spready by just talking.
9. Chair armrests: Researchers have found that chair armrests are among the germiest places in public due to their frequent use.
10. Dining tables: The people that dined before you in the mall’s food court may not leave a tip, but they’ll be happy to share plenty of bacteria.
11. Money: Money is handled by many different people, and can contain traces of drugs, fecal matter, viruses, and more.
12. Payphone: Payphones are like your office phone, but much worse. You’ll be subject to the hand, face, and mouth germs from anyone who used the phone before you.
13. Elevator buttons: With dirty elevator buttons, one can only hope that the people who have selected your floor before you have washed their hands recently.
14. Drinking fountain: Drink from a water fountain, and you’ll be subject to the germs of people who have come before you, some even putting their mouths directly on the fountain.
15. Credit card: When you hand over your credit card, it’s touched by a cashier, swiped through a reader where many other people’s cards have been swiped, and may even be placed on a dirty countertop.
16. Soap dispensers: Yes, an object you touch to get clean can be dirty. If the soap isn’t in its own sealed bad, chances are it’s a breeding ground for bacteria.
17. Vending machines: Think twice about popping the top on your soda, or opening up your chips without washing your hands first.
18. Shopping cart: A University of Arizona study has found that almost two-thirds of shopping carts were infected with fecal bacteria, more than the average public bathroom.
19. Pedestrian traffic light button: This heavy traffic area is more than likely not cleaned routinely.
20. Lemon wedges: In 2007, the Journal of Environmental Health found that nearly 70% of lemon wedges in restaurant glasses had disease-causing microbes.
21. The diving board ladder: Your neighborhood pool’s diving ladder is only as clean as the pool is, and is often contaminated with dirty feet from the area around the pool as well as the bathroom floor.
22. Monkey bar handles: All of the children who came before yours have left their mark on playground equipment with colds and other viruses.
23. The gym: Although your gym may clean its equipment, it’s never enough. You can pick up plenty of germs from skin, sweat, and saliva left over from other visitors.

At Home

You may think your home is sacred from germs, but it’s full of often under-cleaned surfaces and sources of bacteria.

1. Doorknob: Remember all those germs you picked up at the office and on your way home? They live on your doorknob now.
2. Vacuum: Your vacuum brush is full of bacteria, and can spread germs from contaminated surfaces to uncontaminated ones.
3. Light switch: This often-touched object is generally not cleaned often enough to eliminate germs.
4. Your contact lens case: Your eyes are the last place you want germs to be near, but a Chinese study has found that 34% of contact lens cases had germs that could cause an inflammatory eye disease.
5. Your pets: Your pets can bring in bacteria from your backyard and the dog park, which can end up on your hands, couch, bed, and flooring.
6. Your bed: More than 84% of US homes have dust mites, which feed off of your dead skin. Your bed is a breeding ground for these mites, as they thrive in the humidity of a bed that’s made up.
7. Shower curtain: Vinyl shower curtains thrive in soap scum, and they’re spread around by your shower spray.
8. Library books: You may be in possession of the book now, but the people who have checked it out before you may have been reading it in the bathroom.
9. TV remotes: Your remotes are frequently touched, and infrequently cleaned.
10. Refrigerator door handle: Your refrigerator door is likely home to bacteria picked up while preparing food like eggs and raw meat.
11. Kitchen sink: Germs love to thrive in this moist environment.
12. Toothbrush: Your toothbrush retails bacteria from your illnesses, and can even be home to fecal matter if you leave it near your toilet.
13. Laundry basket: You can pick up plenty of germs from handling underwear in your laundry basket.
14. Cutting board: Germs and bacterial love to live in the cracks and crevices of cutting boards.
15. Stuffed animals: Stuffed animals get dragged around all over your home, and pick up every bit of dirt along the way.

Everywhere

These dirty objects follow you around wherever you go.

1. Cell phone: Think of all the places where you set your cell phone down, and then think about how closely it rests on your face.
2. mp3 player: Your mp3 player picks up germs much in the same way as your cell phone-by being set down places like your car’s cup holders, or dirty tabletops.
3. Your purse: Women often set their purse on the floor or bathroom counter without thinking of the germs that lurk on those surfaces.

Of course, just because everything we touch is dirty, doesn’t mean that we have to be. Using an anti-bacterial soap like GymSoap® can help to prevent the spread of germs and disease. It’s not just effective against gym-related diseases, but can actually help anywhere there’s a risk.