UNITED KINGDOM: More than one in four British commuters have faecal bacteria on their hands

Record ID: 575091

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: More than one in four British commuters have faecal bacteria on their hands
  • Date: 18th October 2008
  • Summary: SHOWS (L!2) LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER 15, 2008) (REUTERS) BUS ON LONDON STREET PEOPLE BOARDING A BUS WOMAN WAITING AT BUS STOP WITH FINGERS IN HER MOUTH CLOSE OF ANOTHER WOMAN'S HANDS PEOPLE BOARDING A BUS CLOSE OF MAN'S HAND HOLDING ONTO STRAP ON BUS LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE EXTERIOR 8 . CLOSE UP OF SIGN TO LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE SIGN DR. VAL CURTIS, DIRECTOR OF THE HYGIENE CENTRE AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE WORKING AT DESK MODEL OF GIANT FAECES AND BOTTLES OF SOAP ON HER DESK (SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VAL CURTIS, DIRECTOR OF THE HYGIENE CENTRE AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE, SAYING: "Well, we thought we were going to find just a few commuters who had got a few bugs on their hands, but actually we were amazed to find that more than one in four people that we took swabs from actually had bugs that came from the gut on their hands, so toilet bugs on their hands." CURTIS WALKING TOWARDS SINK AND WASHING HER HANDS CLOSE OF CURTIS USING SOAP TO WASH HER HANDS EXTREME CLOSE UP OF CURTIS WASHING HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VAL CURTIS, DIRECTOR OF THE HYGIENE CENTRE AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE, SAYING: "Ninety-nice percent of the problem is these guys (holds up hands). These are the super highway, that transmit infection from me to you. They move around they spread bugs onto surfaces, they spread bugs around in the environment, so everytime you wash your hands with soap you are getting rid of billions of bacteria and it's certainly a thing that's worth doing regularly during the day, especially the toilet and before you eat." HANDWASHING SIGN READING "AFTER YOU FLUSH, DON'T BE IN A RUSH, WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DR. VAL CURTIS, DIRECTOR OF THE HYGIENE CENTRE AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE, SAYING: "When people say they wash their hands with soap it tends to mean in principle I wash my hands with soap. In practice, you know, 'I was in a hurry, I was busy, the water was too cold, I didn't like the look of the soap, there wasn't a towel, the washroom was dirty'... people make all sort of excuses as to why they shouldn't wash their hands and in the end it's honoured in the breach more than in the actual practice." BUS PULLING INTO STOP PEOPLE GETTING ONTO BUS MAN WAITING AT BUS STOP WAVING HIS HANDS AROUND PEOPLE WAITING AT BUS STOP CLOSE OF WOMAN'S HAND ON PRAM
  • Embargoed: 2nd November 2008 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Health,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVAAP5NQ9UMTJQ5VHWTMIXEDWXAW
  • Story Text: Thousands of workers are not the only living things travelling on British buses and trains on the daily commute - nasty toilet bacteria is along for the ride too.
    More than one in four commuters have faecal bacteria on their hands, doctors at London's School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have found.
    They swabbed the hands of 409 people across England and Wales and found that 28 percent of travellers had contaminated hands.
    The results shocked Director of the Hygiene Centre, Dr. Val Curtis: "We thought we were going to find just a few commuters who had got a few bugs on their hands, but actually we were amazed to find that more than one in four people that we took swabs from actually had bugs that came from the gut on their hands, so toilet bugs on their hands," she said.
    Toilet bugs on hands can spread diseases such as the norovirus, or winter vomiting virus, which is on the rise in the U.K. It is estimated up to one million Britons are affected each year.
    Faecal bacteria can survive on surfaces anything from a couple of hours to several days, depending on the type of bug and climate.
    Calling hands the "super highway" for transmitting germs, Curtis hopes her research will shock people into reaching for the soap.

    "Everytime you wash your hands with soap you are getting rid of billions of bacteria and it's certainly a thing that's worth doing regularly during the day, especially the toilet and before you eat," she said.
    Eighty percent of respondents claimed they always wash their hands with soap after using the toilet, but the findings appear to question their honesty.

    "When people say they wash their hands with soap it tends to mean in principle I wash my hands with soap," said Curtis.
    A a bus stop in central London, some passengers were appalled at the high levels of bacteria found.

    "It does horrify me to think you get on the bus and you know, 'that's' there," said Sue Carr.

    "Now it's making me think twice. It seems like now wherever I go I will have to take an extra tissue or something," Parul Husna said.
    Male passengers seemed less surprised at the lack of hygiene levels of their fellow passengers. After gentle questioning, some acknowledged that they were not always stringent with their own hand washing.
    After initially declaring that he always washes his hands, grandparent Jim Shakeshift then sheepishly admitted, "Well, say nine times out of ten....Well, normally yeah."

    "I do yeah. Not always with soap but I do wash my hands yeah," said Adam Cromby.
    Passengers aware of the high levels of bacteria had different methods of dealing with it.
    Jordan Huie said when he visits a public toilet, "When I open the door to the toilet I will try and hold the area where no-one else would hold because I know people don't wash their hands."
    Mother of a baby, Lindsay Jorgensen, said she never goes anywhere without her anti-bacterial spray.

    "Give it a little spray on my hands when I get off the bus because when you've got kids you can't afford to have dirty hands."
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