04.dec.06
The Arizona Republic
Barbara Yost
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1204germophobe1205main.html
Matt Lauer, the self-confessed germophobe anchor of NBC's Today show, gets the willies, according to this story, every time he hosts a segment about germs running rampant. The main character on USA Network's Monk is a detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder, freaked by shaking hands and never far from a pack of sanitary wipes. Politicians on the campaign trail carried hand sanitizer (all that hand-shaking with the hoi polloi). The cleaning industry is cranking out antibacterial and antiseptic products at a dizzying rate. Who doesn't have a bottle of hand sanitizer at the office? A pack of Wet Ones in the car? Supermarkets provide sanitary wipes for grocery carts. Public toilets flush themselves. Toys are made of antibacterial plastic.
Were we always so phobic? The world was blissfully unaware that germs caused illness until the 19th century, when Louis Pasteur confirmed that most infectious diseases come from tiny organisms, what 18th-century microbiologist Anton van Leeuwenhoek called "wee beasties."
Now it seems wee beasties are everywhere. Cross-contamination in the kitchen can make us sick unless we remember to keep utensils clean and to use separate cutting boards for such foods as raw chicken. Shaking hands with an ill person infects us with colds and flu. Airplanes? Flying tubes of germs.
And now with the onslaught of holiday guests, are we being paranoid if we use disposable towels in the bathroom, clean the toilet every day and cheerfully remind our guests to wash their hands? Not to a germophobe. And perhaps not to those with common sense.
Chuck Gerba, professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona in Tucson and national expert on germs, was quoted as saying, "The world has changed dramatically. There are more emerging pathogens."
Animal feedlots are contaminated with E. coli bacteria, Gerba said. Crops such as spinach and lettuce, as we learned this fall when produce caused illness, are sometimes grown near sites of animal waste. Animal waste contaminated irrigation water and got onto the crops. We travel more and bring home foreign organisms that can cause diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).
Then there are ubiquitous cellphones, which can be filthy, especially if they are shared. Thanks to shared cellphones, teens are coming down with more skin infections, Gerba said. A British study cited on ABC News found that the warm moist atmosphere around the face that comes in contact with cellphones can even breed the serious staph bacteria, causing skin infections and meningitis.
And the bottom of a woman's purse? Don't even go there. Gerba's office swabbed purses at a mall and found that one in four contained traces of E. coli. Further tests discovered hepatitis germs and other pathogens.
Today's public demands more hygienic devices, said Beth Risinger, president of the International Executive Housekeepers Association, a professional organization for executive housekeepers, directors of environmental services, managers in custodial activities and suppliers of custodial goods and services.
"I think the public is starting to recognize the danger is out there," Risinger said, dismayed at slipshod bathroom habits she sees. "You need to clean constantly."
In response, many public buildings have "no-touch" restrooms. Doors open automatically, faucets turn themselves on, paper towel dispensers are activated by a wave of a hand and toilets sense when to flush. Mechanized plastic sleeves cover toilet seats. Push a button, and a clean sleeve rolls out.
Peoria residents Jacqueline Reber and her husband, Duane, who have lived all over the world, say germophobics have gone too far. They drank the water and ate local food wherever they went. Their children ran barefoot through the jungles of South America and never had a sick day. He jokes that he drank out of camel tracks in Africa.
Now the Rebers are living in a retirement home where residents demand hand sanitizer in every room, from the salad bar to the card room.
Dr. Steven Oscherwitz, a Tempe infectious disease specialist, counsels moderation.
Frequent hand washing with soap and water is a good way to prevent illness, Oscherwitz said. It's great to use hand sanitizers; they're based in alcohol.
But forget the antibacterial products. Their overuse kills off good germs and allows bad ones to grow.
The Internet, the media and information technology escalate our fears, Oscherwitz said. An avian flu outbreak a decade ago caused barely a ripple of attention. Now we're panicked by the latest reports.
"It's important not to be overly afraid," he said.
Children need to be exposed to a fair amount of germs. Our immune systems need to learn how to fight and protect us, Oscherwitz said.
His advice: "Take everything you read with a grain of salt."