Got hand gel? If not, you should. Hand gel is everywhere -- and with good reason.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends antibacterial gels, especially for health-care workers, in fighting the spread of H1N1. This may explain why U.S. sales of hand gels have tripled in a year.
In the ongoing war against H1N1 and other infectious diseases, hand gel just may be your best weapon.
"Hand gel that is 65 percent alcohol or greater is quite effective in destroying germs on hands, whether they're bacteria, virus or fungi," said Dr. Rene Santos, infectious disease specialist at Ingalls Hospital in Harvey and Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest.
Hand gels, Santos said, do not wash away the skin's natural oils the way soap and water can.
Properly applied, hand gels can work for a couple of hours, he said. You cannot build up an immunity to the gels.
"People don't develop immunities, germs do," Santos said. And, in general, organisms cannot develop immunity to chemicals, especially chemicals that are doused all over an infected area.
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