It’s easy to see how the office fridge could carry more germs than the office bathroom – especially when, according to a US study 22% of them only get cleaned once or twice a year.

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With 70 percent of workers eating lunch at their desks, the office fridge has become the recession’s latest victim.

John Kiely, the owner of Allied Cleaning Service in Manhattan, has encountered more than his fair share of office refrigerators during 40 years in the business. “If you can wear a mask, sometimes you’ll be O.K.,” he says. “But sometimes the stench is just too much. It’ll make you light-headed. I’ve actually been scared a few times. Now I know what a decomposing body smells like.”

Anyone who’s shared a refrigerator with co-workers knows the sensation. Take a peek inside your company’s communal fridge, and you’ll come across some of the most pernicious sights this side of a Roger Corman movie: Saran-wrapped tuna salad sandwiches that seem to have a pulse, leftover moo shu pork in the early stages of evolution, and cartons of half and half with the consistency of white lava.

There’s always an excuse, of course. Kiely has heard them all. “My favorite is when they won’t throw out a meal because it has sentimental value,” he says. “Usually because it was made by their mom or a new girlfriend. I want to tell them: ‘You know that new girlfriend you’ve got? I hope you’re not thinking about marrying her for her cooking skills. Because let me tell you, her food stinks!’ “

Office kitchenette horror stories have become noticeably menacing during the current recession; 70 percent of Americans, some likely looking to save money, are eating at their desks, according to an American Dietetic Assn. (ADA) survey of office workers. Longer lines for the break-room microwave increase the potential of soon-to-be-forgotten, bacteria-collecting leftovers in the fridge. This translates to increased health dangers. According to a study conducted by the ADA and ConAgra Foods (CAG), 44 percent of office refrigerators are cleaned once a month and 22 percent are cleaned only once or twice a year. Next time you’re looking for a relatively bacteria-free place to store your lunch, consider that the bathrooms in your office are probably cleaner than the fridge.

According to the Agriculture Dept., the foods most likely to turn your office refrigerator into The Hurt Locker are casseroles, cold cuts, poultry, and the evil dairy twins: yogurt and sour cream. “One of the worst problems is food left in the fridge that everyone is encouraged to eat, like leftovers from an office meeting or group lunch,” says Alice Henneman, a registered dietitian with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. “Who knows how long they sat out before they were refrigerated? I am aware of one company where over 30 people became sick because leftover food in a deep container didn’t cool fast enough.”

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Are Gen Yers not as hip with the handshake as their generational predecessors? It seems not, in the UK at least.

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It’s long been a somewhat touchy area, but the handshake appears in danger of dying out altogether in socially reserved Britain.

Survey findings released this week found 74 per cent of British adults admit they no longer reach out to shake hands with friends and colleagues.

And there seems little hope of the younger generation resurrecting the tradition, with only 45 per cent of respondents aged under 25 saying they use handshakes compared with 69 per cent of those aged 26 and over.

Manchester Metropolitan University senior psychologist Dr David Holmes, who analysed the survey, said a powerful legacy was under threat.

“Handshakes are dying out with the young, they don’t do it and in general, even among people who were brought up with them, they are being used less and less,” Dr Holmes said.

“The handshake symbolises trust between individuals, countries, business and sportsmen as well.

“It is a tradition that we don’t want to see die out.”

Commissioned by a hand wash manufacturer, the survey of 1,000 people found 67 per cent said health fears made them reluctant to shake hands.

Dr Holmes said apart from germ phobias, people were more comfortable these days with the controlled social contact of a phone call or text message than face-to-face interaction which requires immediate and direct responses.

And while younger people sometimes used greetings like touching clenched fists, “high-fives” or air kisses, they were not being taught the art of the handshake by their parents and were therefore awkward about how to respond.

So, the solution to saving the handshake? Dr Holmes believes practice makes perfect, and may also mean preservation.

“For every person that shakes hands, then another person will start to think it’s not such a bad thing,” he said.

In her book, Watching the English, anthropologist Kate Fox writes: “Note, though, that the English handshake is always somewhat awkward, very brief, performed ‘at arm’s length’, and without any of the spare-hand involvement – clasping, forearm patting, etc. – found in less inhibited cultures.”

With the growing popularity of kissing (almost always the “air” variety) as a form of greeting, you have an etiquette minefield in a society distinctly ill at ease with physical contact.

The key problem with kissing someone hello is the question of how many – one quick peck in the cheek vicinity or the more elaborate two favoured in continental Europe.

If you go for the double barrell but your recipient is of the single school, you’re left puckering into thin air while they’ve moved on to greet the next person.

Any sign of indecision from either party and a comical dance ensues while each tries to anticipate the other’s next move, or lack thereof.

One solution is to plant one kiss and then pull the recipient in for a hug, thereby cutting off any access to a second smacker.

But then you’re left to perform a rather uncomfortable dis-embrace before sloping off in embarrassment.

An English friend of mine has developed a strategy of kissing one cheek and then the other with such fluidity, grace and purpose that the kissee is in no doubt there will be two and it’s over before they can even think about it.

It’s the best solution I’ve seen, allowing a return to the stiff-upper-lip pretense that it never happened.

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We have been bracing ourselves for an outbreak of Swine Flu in Australia since cases have been reported recently in New Zealand.

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It has arrived much later this winter, but experts say the swine flu is now on Australia’s doorstep.

Transmission of the a(H1N1) virus has been elevated in New Zealand for several weeks, The Influenza Specialist Group (ISG) reports, and a jump in new infections was also now emerging in Australia.

“The timing of the flu season can vary somewhat each year,” said ISG chairman Dr Alan Hampson.

“Current data now show that infections are on the increase in Australia and influenza is now at significant levels in New Zealand, which usually shortly precedes Australia.

“To us this means that outbreaks are imminent.”

The latest Flutracking data for NSW, issued earlier this month, points to “influenza-like illness” infections among the state’s unvaccinated population rising to above four per cent.

The “sustained rise is consistent with broadening influenza activity in the community”, it warned.

A Department of Health and Ageing Influenza Surveillance Report for the week ending August 13 also notes a jump in laboratory confirmed influenza cases in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

There have also been four pandemic influenza related deaths in 2010 reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

Dr Hampson said vaccination remained the best protection against the virus which was known to pose added risks to pregnant women and younger Australians as well as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people – and particularly those with chronic medical conditions.

He also warned influenza was currently a problem in a number of Asian countries, particularly India, and that travellers should be vaccinated before leaving Australia for Commonwealth Games in Delhi this October.

“Based on surveillance data, the timing for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi is around the usual peak time for influenza in that region,” Dr Hampson said.

“This has obvious implications for the athletes, but also for other team members and spectators.

“It has been found that highly-trained athletes tend to be more susceptible to respiratory infections such as influenza.”

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 Tears have always had more uses than just to clean and lubricate the eye as this new study once again highlights.  

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An antibacterial enzyme found in human tears and other body fluids could be applied to certain foods for protection against intentional contamination with anthrax, scientists reported in Boston, Massachusetts on August 26 at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

“Data from this study could be used in developing safer foods for human consumption,” said Saeed A. Khan, Ph.D. “The data from our study shows that lysozyme application has the potential to eliminate anthrax producing bacteria in processed foods.”

 Khan and colleagues knew from almost a century of lysozyme research that the enzyme kills certain bacteria. It does so by destroying bacteria cell walls, the rigid outer shell that provides a protective coating.

 Lysozyme was discovered in 1922 by Alexander Fleming during the search for antibiotics that eventually led to penicillin. A drop of mucus (which contains lysozyme) from Fleming’s nose fell into a culture dish of bacteria. Much to his surprise, it killed the bacteria. Since then, scientists have shown that lysozyme has far-reaching roles in protecting against disease-causing microbes.

 Found in many body fluids, it sometimes is called “the body’s own antibiotic.” In breast milk, for instance, lysozyme protects infants from certain infections. The whites of hens’ eggs have large amounts of the enzyme to protect the developing chick from infections.

 Until the new study that was published by Dr. Khan and his colleagues, however, it was not known if lysozyme could also be effective against Bacillus anthracis, the microbe that causes anthrax. Khan and colleagues, who are with the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, Ark., used a surrogate bacterial strain that is considered as a stand-in for anthrax in their research because it behaves in more or less similar fashion as the actual anthrax strain, except that it does not cause the disease.

 They studied the spore’s survival in hens’ egg white, and found that the lysozyme in egg white was very effective in killing anthrax spores. Lysozyme also showed some activity in killing spores added to ground beef and milk.

 ”Based on our results, it looks like that lysozyme could be used to either slow down or prevent the growth of an avirulent form of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis that causes anthrax,” Khan said. “More research is needed on other types of foods, including ground beef, milk, fruit juices, and vegetables.”

The study was carried out in collaboration with the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and funded by the U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The views presented by Dr. Khan are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the USDA, DHS, or FDA.

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This study names the five ‘germiest’ tourist attractions (all in Europe and USA).  It’s important when travelling to protect yourself diligently against germs.

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FROM a kissing stone to a wall dedicated to used gum, the world’s top five germ-laden tourists attractions have been revealed.

Locations in the US and Europe were included in the list, which was compiled by travel website TripAdvisor from a poll of more than 4600 travellers.

FROM a kissing stone to a wall dedicated to used gum, the world’s top five germ-laden tourists attractions have been revealed.

Locations in the US and Europe were included in the list, which was compiled by travel website TripAdvisor from a poll of more than 4600 travellers.

1. BLARNEY STONE

Where: Blarney, Ireland

According to legend those who kiss the Blarney Stone, a block of stone built into Ireland’s Blarney Castle, are rewarded with eloquent speech.

“(You) have to bend over backwards, and kiss the stone upside down (imagine the germs on the stone from everyone doing that!)” one traveller told TripAdvisor.

2. WALL OF GUM

Where: Seattle, Washington, US

Since the 1990s visitors have been sticking their gum to a wall at Seattle’s Market Theatre in Post Alley, resulting in a colourful although disturbing sight.

3. OSCAR WILDE’S TOMB

Where: Paris, France

Oscar Wilde’s tomb is absolutely covered in lipstick prints, testament to his popularity.

4. ST. MARK’S SQUARE

Where: Venice, Italy

St Mark’s Square is filled with thousands of pigeons, not in the least bit hygeinic.

“I know it does seem a little bit disgusting, but it’s so totally hilarious to see your friend/partner/dad being attacked by birds,” one traveller told TripAdvisor.

5. FORECOURT OF GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE

Where: Hollywood, US

The hand and footprints of some if the world’s biggest stars are featured at this Hollywood landmark, and millions of fans place their fingers in the moulds.

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If you or your staff are having too many sick days, or are unproductive due to regular bouts of colds or flu, then this study could have the answer to your problems.

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Employers looking to ward off illness in the office might consider investing in some hand sanitizer dispensers.

Alcohol-based hand disinfectants seem to reduce the number of cases of the common cold, fever and coughing in an office environment, and decrease the number of sick days employees take due to these illnesses, according to a new German study.

The number of participants in the study was quite small, but if future research confirms the findings,  hand sanitizers may prove to be a cost-effective way of maintaining employee health, the researchers said.

Good hand hygiene

Researchers recruited 129 administrative employees from a university in Greifswald, a town in northeastern Germany, and from other public administration offices in the country, for the 13-month study. While previous studies had looked at the benefit of hand sanitizers in medical facilities, day care centers and universities, the effect of these disinfectants in workplaces such as public administration offices had not been examined.

About half of the administrative employees were told to maintain normal hand-washing behavior, while the other half were supplied with hand disinfectant and instructed to try to use it at least five times during each workday.

The participants were followed from March 2005 to April 2006. At the end of every month, they filled out surveys saying whether they had experienced symptoms of the common cold, sinusitis, sore throat, fever, cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, influenza or diarrhea, and whether the illness had forced them to take time off from work.

Using hand sanitizers significantly decreased the odds of being absent with a cold, cough, fever or diarrhea, the researchers found.

Coming in sick

The study also found a reduction in symptoms of illness at work, suggesting that using hand disinfectant can reduce productivity losses from workers who come in when they’re sick.

“We were able to demonstrate that hand disinfection can easily be introduced and maintained outside clinical settings as a part of the daily hand hygiene,” the researchers wrote for an upcoming issue of the journal BMC Infectious Diseases. “Therefore it appears as an interesting and probably cost-efficient method within the scope of company health support programs.”

The researchers noted a potential conflict of interest in their study: One of the authors is employed by Bode Chemie, a German company that manufactures hand sanitizer products.

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It is often said that pets look like their owners and now it seems some actually share the same E. coli strains. Maybe there is merit in cleaning your hands both before and after handling your beloved furry friend.

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Dog owners have little to fear from a sloppy lick on the face from their pooches. In fact, a study shows it’s humans who are passing on their germs to their four-legged friends.

The US study found owners who share their beds with their dogs and tolerate licks on the face, do not face an increased risk of acquiring doggie germs.

Dr Kate Stenske, of the University of Tennessee, was tasked with testing the faeces of owners and their dogs for matching E. Coli, a common bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract.

She found there was no increase in owners who slept with their dogs and allowed licks on the face, compared with owners who took a more arms-length approach.

“People have it (E. Coli), dogs have it, and it normally doesn’t cause any problems,” Dr Stenske said. “But it can acquire genes to make it antibiotic resistant.”

Dr Stenske found 10 per cent of dog-human pairs shared the same E. coli strains. She also found the E. coli had more resistance to common antibiotics than expected, although owners had more multiple-drug resistant strains than their pets.

“This make us think that dogs are not likely to spread multiple drug-resistant E. coli to their owners, but perhaps owners may spread them to their dogs,” she said.

While the research showed that bed sharing and face licking resulted in no increase in shared E. Coli, Dr Stenske said there was an increase in owners who reported not washing their hands after petting their dog, or before cooking a meal.

She urged owners should apply commonsense and good hygiene practices to keep germ transmission under control.

“We should continue to own and love our pets because they provide a source of companionship. We also need to make sure we are washing our hands often,” she said.

Dr Stenske said the work pointed to a need for a similar study of cat owners.  Her research is to be published in the American Journal of Veterinary Research.

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Could the installion of copper door knobs, taps and toilet seats in hospitals actually save lives?

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Making door handles, taps and light switches from copper could help the country beat superbugs, scientists say. A study found that copper fittings rapidly killed bugs on hospital wards, succeeding where other infection control measures failed.

In the trial at Selly Oak hospital, in Birmingham, copper taps, toilet seats and push plates on doors all but eliminated common bugs. It is thought the metal ’suffocates’ germs, preventing them breathing. It may also stop them from feeding and destroy their DNA.

Lab tests show that the metal kills off the deadly MRSA and C difficile superbugs. It also kills other dangerous germs, including the flu virus and the E coli food poisoning bug. Although the number of cases of MRSA and C difficile is falling, the two bugs still claim thousands of lives a year.

During the ten-week trial on a medical ward, a set of taps, a lavatory seat and a push plate on an entrance door were replaced with copper versions. They were swabbed twice a day for bugs and the results compared with a traditional tap, lavatory seat and push plate elsewhere in the ward.

The copper items had up to 95 per cent fewer bugs on their surface whenever they were tested, a U.S. conference on antibiotics heard yesterday. Professor Tom Elliott, the lead researcher and a consultant microbiologist at the hospital, said: ‘The findings of 90 to 95 per cent killing of those organisms, even after a busy day on a medical ward with items being touched by numerous people, is remarkable.

‘I have been a consultant microbiologist for several decades. This is the first time I have seen anything like copper in terms of the effect it will have in the environment.

‘It may well offer us another mechanism for trying to defeat the spread of infection.’

Researcher Professor Peter Lambert, of Aston University, Birmingham, said: ‘The numbers decreased always on copper but not on the steel surfaces.’

If further hospital-based trials prove as successful, the researchers would like copper fixtures and fittings installed in hospitals around the country. Doorknobs, taps, light switches, toilet seats and handles and bathroom ‘grab rails’ could all be ripped out and replaced with copper versions.

Although it is usually thought to be an expensive metal, copper is actually a similar price to stainless steel, the researchers said. Nursing homes and even our houses could also benefit from the metal’s ability to wipe out dangerous bugs.

The healing power of copper has been recognised for thousands of years. More than 4,000 years ago, the Egyptians used it to sterilise wounds and drinking water and the Aztecs treated skin conditions with the metal. The ancient Greeks also knew of its benefits. Hippocrates, sometimes called ‘the father of medicine’, noted that it could be used to treat leg ulcers.

Today, copper is a common constituent in medicines including antiseptic and antifungal creams. It is also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Many of those with arthritis wear copper bangles. Although they provide relief to many, there is no scientific evidence that they work.

Copper is present in our diet in trace amounts and plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells and in keeping our blood vessels, nerves and bones healthy.

The research was funded by the copper industry.

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It is almost impossible to conceive but UK studies have shown that one in 25 people in the UK use their laptop on the toilet.

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Laptops and mobiles spread bugs that kill 750 people in Britain a year, research reveals today.

More and more of us use them in the loo – but leave germs on them by failing to wash our hands properly. One in three has used a mobile or BlackBerry on the WC – with one in 25 using a laptop.

But one in three of us fails to use soap afterwards while one in five does not even bother cleaning their hands.

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Those shopping sprees may not only be affecting the health of your balance sheet but may also be making you physically ill.

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To reduce the risk of catching swine flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends frequent hand washing and using tissues when you sneeze. But there’s another way to protect yourself —even if it’s not so good for the economy: Stop spending money.

It doesn’t get talked about much, but the fact is paper currency—the dollars, fives, tens and twenties most people routinely touch every day—can spread a virus from one person to another. So if you have contact with money that an infected individual has also handled, there’s a possibility of catching the flu.  How likely is that? Despite the pervasiveness of cash in society, its role in transmitting illness has been the subject of surprisingly little study. But some recent research suggests that flu bugs can show some staying power when they land on one of the countless banknotes that change hands every day.

Generally speaking, scientists interviewed by SmartMoney estimate the lifetime of a plain flu virus deposited on money at an hour or so. But mix in some human nasal mucus, and the potential for the virus to hang on long enough to find a victim increases, according to one of the few scientific studies done on flu transmission through cash.

In a study conducted at Switzerland’s Central Laboratory of Virology at the University Hospitals of Geneva, researchers tested to see what would happen when flu virus was placed on Swiss franc notes. In some of these tests, researchers placed flu virus mixed in with nasal secretions from children on banknotes —and saw some unexpected results.

When protected by human mucus, the flu cells were much hardier—in some cases, lasting up to 17 days on the franc notes. The virus that persisted for 17 days was a form of influenza A called H3N2. In an email interview, Dr. Yves Thomas said samples of an influenza A strain called H1N1 also endured for quite a bit—in some cases, up to 10 days. That bug was similar but not identical to the virus at the center of the current swine flu outbreak, which is considered a new strain of H1N1.

To be sure, many kinds of frequently touched surfaces could temporarily harbor the flu virus. Broadly speaking, scientists consider the risk of transmission in this way to be low, particularly if hand-washing and other hygiene measures are practiced, says Dr. Philip Tierno, director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University’s Langone Medical Center and author of “The Secret Life of Germs.”

Three things must happen for a flu virus to be transmitted from one person to another via money. First, a person who is infected with the swine flu must sneeze or cough onto the bill or blow their nose and leave remnants of their mucus on the currency. Next, an uninfected person would need to touch the money while the virus is still present.

Finally, that person would need to put their contaminated hand in their mouth or pick their nose, says Dr. Murray Grossan, an otolaryngologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

As public concern and media hype about the swine flu outbreak grows, it’s remarkable how little the subject of money comes up—and how few people want to discuss it. The CDC wouldn’t discuss the role of money in flu transmission. At the New York State Health Department, spokeswoman Claire Pospisil declined to comment. And when we asked the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing—that’s the government operation that actually manufactures money—a spokeswoman told us that what happens to U.S. dollars once they’re in circulation is beyond the bureau’s control.

Meanwhile, concern about the potential spread of swine flu continues to grow in the U.S. and abroad. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert level to phase 5, one level shy of WHO’s highest readiness. As of Thursday afternoon, there has been one confirmed swine flu death in the U.S. — a 23-month-old Mexican child brought to Texas for treatment. Also as of Thursday afternoon, the tally of confirmed U.S. cases of swine flu stands at 109, measured from when it was first identified as a new strain on April 24. To put those numbers in perspective, an estimated 36,000 Americans die annually from complications related to regular seasonal flu strain, according to the CDC.

Still, if all this has you looking more suspiciously at the folding money you’re carrying around, you could consider relying more on coins. Scientists say those are much more likely to be virus-free since metals like nickel and copper inhibit viruses.

And even the humble dollar bill may have some defenses. The ink on freshly-printed U.S. dollars has a fungicidal agent in it that can inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi and the influenza virus can be killed more easily because of it, says Tierno. As the dollar gets used and abused – especially with perspiration or water – the strength of the ink weakens, he says.

As for the paper, Peter Hopkins, a spokesman for Crane & Co., the exclusive provider of paper for U.S. currency, says he doesn’t know whether the paper has any antiviral properties, but says it is made out of 75% cotton and 25% linen (he wouldn’t disclose the other elements). Tierno says that those natural fibers can be degraded by fungus. And, therefore, to prevent that from happening, the pulp — like the ink — also includes a fungicidal agent.

One big unknown at the moment is whether the swine flu will continue to mutate and grow stronger, says Dr. Rani Bright, assistant professor of pathology, microbiology and forensic medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. If it does, the virus could conceivably survive on dollar bills for an even longer period of time.

When severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, first broke out in China, some researchers expected the virus to survive on currency and other surfaces for just a few hours. Instead, it lasted a few days because it was much stronger than originally anticipated, says Dr. Jean Patterson, chair of the virology and immunology department at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research in San Antonio, Texas.

Even after the spread of swine flu subsides, consumers may want to continue being cautious when handling their cash. Some infectious bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae, can stick to currency for a longer period than viruses, according to a 2002 study that was published by the Southern Medical Journal, titled “Bacterial Contamination of Paper Currency.” Dr. Peter Ender, an infectious diseases physician at St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa., who co-authored the study said that while the average health risks are low, bacteria on U.S. dollars could cause mild or serious illness.

Are there ways to make cash cleaner? One approach: ATMs that sterilize your money. Some years back, just such a machine was marketed in Japan, where cleanliness can be something of a cultural obsession. These “clean ATMs” were manufactured by a Hitachi subsidiary, Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions. However, according to Hitachi spokeswoman Lauren Garvey, those machines were not available outside of Japan and are no longer manufactured.

There may be a much simpler solution—if you don’t mind making the credit-card companies richer. Paying by credit card instead of cash could lower your risk of catching a bug, says Patterson. That isn’t because of any special properties of plastic, but because your credit card typically passes through fewer hands than cash—reducing the chance of contact with an infected individual. But don’t throw away your bottle of sanitizing gel. Viruses can still live on your plastic for up to an hour or so, she says.

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