Dr. Michael A. Pinto currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc.  His Ph.D. is in Environmental Engineering, and he holds credentials such as Certified Safety Professional, Certified Mold Professional, Asbestos Instructor, and others. 

For infection control, cleanliness really is next to Godliness.

Whenever personal hygiene is discussed the importance of hand washing cannot be overemphasized.  Numerous studies by the American Society of Microbiology show that more than 17% of Americans do not wash their hands even after bathroom use!  It is no wonder that the center for disease control and prevention states that inadequate hand washing contributes to 50% of food-borne disease outbreaks.

Surprisingly, it is not much better in the healthcare profession.  Even though it is common knowledge that one of the most common ways contaminants spread is from patient to patient contact, 34 separate studies reviewed by the American Medical News Service confirmed that doctors are not washing their hands regularly between patients. 

And it is not just medical professionals who are lax in their personal hygiene. In a survey of 1008 men and women the Clean Hands Report Card found:

• 68% don't wash their hands long enogh to effectively remove germs and dislodge dirt (i.e. wash with soap at least for 20 seconds).
• 36% seldom wash their hands after coughing or sneezing.
• 31% don't wash before eating lunch.

Study after study has shown that improving personal hygiene in all sectors could eliminate nearly half of all infections. Images representing infection control and personal hygiene dominate the center of our framework for understanding and controlling infectious contaminants, still, that leaves 50% of infections that need to be mitigated through other methods.

 

                      

Dr. Pinto can be reached at Wonder Makers Environmental.