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Fox News
21-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
4 biggest handwashing mistakes that could increase germs and viruses
Proper handwashing could save a million lives a year, according to an expert — and yet many people are doing it improperly, often due to misconceptions surrounding the practice. Doctors recommend washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. The NFID 2025 State of Handwashing Report, recently released by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, provides details on Americans' handwashing habits (and mistakes). The report is based on a survey of 3,587 U.S. adults, conducted in November and December 2024 and March 2025. Robert Hopkins Jr., MD, medical director of NFID in Maryland, spoke to Fox News Digital about what Americans are doing wrong when it comes to handwashing. "We have to recognize that there are a number of important infections that hand sanitizers are not effective at preventing," Hopkins said. One example is norovirus, a highly contagious stomach virus that is common on cruise ships and is also spread seasonally. The virus cannot be killed with hand sanitizer, but is "easily destroyed" with soap and water, according to Hopkins. Certain viruses are "encapsulated" and can be destroyed with either soap and water or hand sanitizer, the expert said. However, there is also an "unencapsulated" type of virus, which has an outer coat that does not break down from the alcohol in hand sanitizer. Using soap and water is a more effective way to kill the germs, the doctor noted. When people cough or sneeze into their sleeve, they could still spread germs afterward. "If you cough into your sleeve … go ahead and wash your hands with soap and water as well," Hopkins advised. "We also have to recognize that we often bring our hands up close to our face, touch our nose, our glasses, other parts of our face," noted the doctor, who is based in Arkansas. "If we have bacteria or viruses on our hands, we can introduce them into our mucous membranes, where we can get infections." The NFID report stated that one in four respondents washed their hands more frequently in the fall and winter, when cold and flu are prevalent. "The seasonal variance is understandable given that some respiratory diseases, including flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), tend to peak during fall and winter," the report stated. "However, other germs — like those that cause colds, norovirus and other infectious diseases — can spread throughout the year. It is important to maintain proper hand hygiene all year round to help stay healthy." Most adults wash their hands after using the bathroom (69%), handling food (48%) and handling human or animal waste (39%), according to NFID's report. "We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool." Only 30% of respondents, however, reported that they are likely to wash their hands after sneezing or coughing. Nearly half of survey respondents admitted to forgetting or choosing not to wash their hands at key times, like after visiting a grocery store, restaurant, doctor's office, pharmacy, clinic or hospital. "We need to reinforce the importance of this simple tool," Hopkins said of handwashing. "I think most of the public health campaigns around hand hygiene have been focused on healthcare settings," he added. Regarding handwashing as a practice in general, Hopkins emphasized, "We need to bring this back into the fold." For more Health articles, visit "If everybody washed their hands more consistently, we could probably save somewhere in the neighborhood of a million lives a year."
News24
07-05-2025
- Health
- News24
Flu: A significant risk for the younger generation
Winter is nearly here, which is the prime time for children to get influenza, or flu. This very contagious viral infection affects the air passages of the lungs and can cause a high fever, body aches, a cough, headaches as well as other symptoms. While most children who contract flu are ill for less than a week, some children can develop a more serious illness and may need to hospitalised. In extreme cases, the flu can lead to pneumonia with potentially fatal consquences 1. According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the flu leads to an estimated 20 000 children under the age of 5 being hospitalised due to flu complications each year. Most flu-related deaths in children are amongst those who have not been vaccinated, and many of the deaths are in healthy children who have no underlying illnesses 2. The influenza vaccination is the first, and most important, step to protect the entire family from flu each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older 3. Children are key carriers of the flu 2 and are two to three times more likely to get the flu, compared to adults 4. Flu spreads from person to person when someone with the virus sneezes, coughs, talks, or touches a surface or object contaminated with the influenza virus and then touches their mouth or nose 2. Having children vaccinated also means better protecting those within the household who may be at greater risk of severe disease or complications when infected with flu. These include pregnant women, older people, individuals with chronic medical conditions and people with immunosuppressive conditions or treatments such as those with HIV or patients receiving chemotherapy 5. In families with infants under six months of age, who are too young to receive the vaccine, it's important for family members to get vaccinated to help protect the baby 2. Flu can cause serious illness especially in children aged two and under, and children with medical conditions and whose immune systems are weakened 4. Flu vaccinations are safe, effective, and time-tested over many decades and contain inactive virus strains that are matched to the most commonly circulating influenza viruses that year 6. Once vaccinated, a child's immune system creates antibodies that help fight the virus when it encounters it 4. Because immunity to the vaccine weakens, annual vaccination is a critical step to stay healthy 3. Flu vaccines for children are among the safest medicines available. While the idea of your child receiving a vaccination may not be appealing 4, remember that the flu vaccine significantly reduces the risk of hospitalisation and possible death from the flu. Research shows this is true for both children with an underlying medical condition and children who are healthy 7. Preventing illness is always a better option than treating it 4. Flu vaccinations are currently available at most healthcare providers, pharmacies and clinics in South Africa. For more information, go to References: 1. John Hopkins Medicine. Influenza (Flu) in Children (2025) at (website accessed on 16 February 2025) 2. National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Flu and Children (2024) at ( (website accessed on 16 February 2025) 3. National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID). Myths and Facts about Flu and Children (2023) at (website accessed on 16 February 2025) 4. Web MD - Flu Vaccines for Children Under 2 (2023) at (Website accessed on 2 May 2024). 5. World Health Organization (WHO). Influenza (seasonal) (2023) at (website accessed on 30 January 2024). 6. Families Fighting Flu Inc. Facts on Flu Vaccines (2021) at (website accessed on 18 February 2024) 7. Mayo Clinic. Does my child need a flu shot this year? (2023) at (Website accessed on 2 May 2024).
