A new study suggests that use of hand sanitizers and frequent wiping of student desks can decrease student illness and non-attendance.
Thought it’s not a new thing to be known that regular hand-washing and proper sanitation can keep illness at bay, the latest research is an attempt to measure how much difference it really makes. Researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston made a randomized, controlled trial in which they included 285 third, fourth and fifth-grade students in Avon, Ohio.
It was noted that in some classrooms disinfecting wipes were used on student desks and hand sanitizers were also used by the students before and after lunch. While in other classrooms, usual hand-washing and cleaning procedures without any particular products or instructions were followed by the students and teachers.
For more than six weeks, researchers noted the occurrence of absence and the reason for not attending school. Several classrooms surfaces for ordinary viruses and bacteria were also tested by the researchers.
The researchers found that in extra-clean classrooms non-attendance rates for gastrointestinal illnesses were 9% lower than the other classrooms. However, non-attendance rate for respiratory ailments was almost same.
There are many studies which show that the germs that be the cause of gastrointestinal infections can easily transmit from one person to another and these germs have the ability to survive for hours and even days on surfaces. Clorox Company of Oakland , Calif not only funded that study but also provided hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes for the classrooms.
“Cleaning hands and minimum exposure to the germs are the best ways to keep away from common infections.” Stated Dr. Thomas Sandra who is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at children’s Hospital.
Children are just like flowers that need intensive care and our little bit carelessness or inattentiveness can make these flowers fade.
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Researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston
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