Health and fitness: Hand sanitisers and viruses| Nursing World ...

?

Hand sanitisers and viruses

?

As public health officials struggle to contain a series of viral outbreaks this winter, many people are reaching for bottles of hand sanitiser.

?

Studies show that alcohol-based sanitisers, particularly those with 60 per cent ethanol or more, can reduce microbial counts on contaminated hands and reduce the spread of some strains of the flu.

?

But against norovirus, the severe gastrointestinal illness gripping many parts of the country, they may be useless.

?

Some viruses, like influenza, are coated in lipids, ?envelopes? that alcohol can rupture.

?

But non-enveloped viruses, like norovirus, are generally not affected.

?

Bleach is effective against norovirus and can be used to decontaminate countertops and surfaces. And for people, the best strategy may be washing hands with plain old soap and water.

?

In 2011, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention studied 91 long-term care facilities. During the winter of 2006-07, they identified 73 outbreaks, 29 of which were confirmed to be norovirus.

?

The facilities where staff members used alcohol-based sanitisers, were six times more likely to have an outbreak of norovirus than the facilities where the staff preferred using soap and water.

?

The CDC says that as a means of preventing norovirus infection, alcohol-based sanitisers can be used ?in addition? to hand washing, never as a substitute.

?

Hand sanitisers can reduce the spread of some viruses, like the flu. But against norovirus they are largely ineffective; better to use soap and water.

?

?Vitamin D doesn?t reduce knee pain?

?

About 27 million people in the United States have osteoarthritis, an incurable condition with few effective treatments beyond pain control.

?

Some observational evidence suggests that vitamin D supplements might slow progression of the disease.

?

But a two-year randomized placebo-controlled study found that vitamin D did not reduce knee pain or restore cartilage.

?

In an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers described a study of 146 men and women with painful knee arthritis who were randomly assigned to take vitamin D supplements or placebos. Vitamin D was given in quantities sufficient to raise blood levels to 36 nanograms per milliliter, a level considered sufficient for good health.

?

Knee pain decreased slightly in both groups, but there were no differences in the amount of cartilage lost, bone mineral density or joint deterioration as measured by X-rays and MRI scans.

?

The lead author, Dr. Timothy McAlindon, a Tufts professor, said taking vitamin D in higher doses or for longer periods might make a difference, but he?s not hopeful.

?

?Although there were lots of promising observational data, we find no efficacy of vitamin D for knee osteoarthritis,? he said.

?

?There may be reasons to take vitamin D supplements, but knee osteoarthritis is not one of them.?

?

New York Times Service

Share this news with friends!!!

Source: http://www.nursingworldnigeria.com/2013/01/health-and-fitness-hand-sanitisers-and-viruses/

sopa marg helgenberger censorship wikipedia sopa and pipa bills censoring the internet blackout