Hands for Hygiene

At the time of this report, more than 2,000 women in England had been warned that they could have contracted Hepatitis C after being treated by a gynecologist suffering from the virus, while in Tennessee, health officials continue to investigate an outbreak of Hepatitis A stemming from an infected restaurant worker.

Double Trouble

According to www.foodlink.org.uk, a London-based Web site that is managed by several U.K. health agencies, including the Food and Drink Federation, bacteria on fingertips doubles after using the bathroom. Yet up to half of all men and a quarter of women fail to wash their hands after they’ve been to the bathroom.

The site also indicated that 1,000 times as many germs spread from damp hands than dry hands, and if rings are worn, there could be as many germs under it as there are people in Europe. Millions of germs can also hide under watches and bracelets, according to the site.

With hands being the main catalyst for spreading of viruses and pathogens, an indifferent worker and a lack of hygiene infrastructure can wreak havoc on food manufacturing and distribution companies, healthcare settings as well as aseptic environments where pharmaceuticals and medical devices are made.

As was the case at Friendly’s and the unidentified restaurant in Tennessee, forgetting the act of washing ones hands can even put a company out of business.

“It can be very expensive for a company to resolve the legal aftermath of a Hepatitis A outbreak,” says Attorney Steven P. Sabra of Sabra & Aspden (Somerset, Mass.). “There are legal fees, settlement costs and administrative fees for the class action lawsuit that often result. A Hepatitis A outbreak needs to be handled very quickly and responsibly because if it drags on, it will hurt the company’s image and reputation, and that can be the most devastating cost of all.”

Marler-Clark specializes in this type of claim, and it has also filed lawsuits on behalf of the 26 people in Florida – 23 children and three adults – who visited the Ag-Venture Farm Shows of Plant City in February and March. They are suffering from illnesses stemming from E.Coli 0157:H7. Another 42 suspected cases are under investigation. While most received out-patient treatment, five children remain in Orlando hospitals – two in critical condition and three in fair condition.

While the lawsuit is still pending, Florida health officials are investigating as to how this outbreak spread. Most likely, they say, the pathogen was picked up from contact with the manure of infected animals. The owner of the petting zoo indicated that there were hand sanitizers positioned at the entrances and exits of animal exhibits at his fair, and health officials said people can help avoid infections at petting zoos by taking simple steps such as not eating around the animals and washing hands thoroughly after being near them. Ultimately, the responsibility is up to the individual.

Survey Says…

Jennifer Marcone, a spokesperson for CDC, says many foodborne illnesses and viruses, like influenza and Norwalk, are most commonly transmitted by hands, while a University of North Carolina study indicates that nothing works better in killing viruses and pathogens than washing with good old-fashioned soap and water; ¬up to a 90 percent reduction of bacteria.

But the statistics on foodborne illnesses paint a rather obscure of what’s going on in the pathogenic landscape.

“If a person becomes ill with a foodborne illness, they typically have a gastrointestinal illness for a couple of days and never see a doctor or have a culture done, so that’s why we have to estimate the burden of foodborne illness,” Marcone says. “The number of cases is difficult to quantify.”