By Scott Anthony

 I finished some projects around the house over the three day weekend and had not been out in public. Heading for breakfast on Tuesday morning, I grabbed the door handle to the restaurant and then absentmindedly, I scratched at my beard and itched my nose. Bad idea. On Wednesday morning I woke up with a completely plugged head, scratchy throat and watery eyes. The idea that one can come into contact with germs and viruses in public places is easy to overlook, but in this age of SARS, H5N1 Avian Flu and MRSA, germ awareness is beginning to come to the forefront.
 
In a few supermarkets around town it is possible to find antibacterial wipe dispensers at the entrances, and the personal use of hand sanitizing gels is up considerably. Arguments of whether or not these products simply increase the proliferation of ‘superbugs’ is ongoing, but still inconclusive.
 
In parts of Asia, and in particular, in China and Vietnam, it is not uncommon to see people wearing particle masks and gloves while commuting on motor scooters, and while this is done in part because of the terrific pollution, these countries have not forgotten the 2003 outbreak of SARS.
Another frightening viral bug, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA has been in the news recently and the most common location of this superbug is in the one place you would wish it was not: Hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The battle to control infectious bugs in hospitals is what gave rise to the use of those foam hand sanitizers that are located in nearly every room at every hospital in the nation. Along with latex glove dispensers, these controls are important first defense against passing infections from person to person, but thorough hand washing is still the number one recommendation.
Comedian George Carlin had a very funny bit about fear of germs. I paraphrase it here: ‘When I was a little boy in New York city in the nineteen-forties, we swam in the Hudson river. And it was filled with raw sewage! And at that time the big fear was polio. Thousands of kids died from polio every year. But you know something? In my neighborhood no one ever got polio. No one! EVER! You know why? Cause WE SWAM IN RAW SEWAGE! It strengthened our immune system, the polio never had a prayer.’
 
I would love to say that I ‘have a friend who is a doctor’, but instead I have a friend who is an RN and what I call ‘AMAD’ (almost a doctor). Karen has worked in large hospitals all over the country and she writes, ‘It’s always busy around here, but it’s been getting busier, and the influx of new patients has been crazy lately. Seems theres no end to infections, and we’re seeing a large number of post-surgery infections.’ Asked if there is much emphasis on hand washing in infection control, Karen wrote, ‘Oh, you know, there are sinks and soap everywhere, and we have to use the foam and fresh gloves after we enter each patient’s room…(also) they gave us hand washing validation kits this summer…you use the sanitizer, then hold your hands under a black light in a box to see how well you did, where you missed (applying).’
 
All of this is alarming, but in regard to the statistics, I think George Carlin had a worthy point. From the Centers for Disease Control’s website, the total number of SARS cases to date: 8098 sick, 774 deaths.  MRSA infections have a higher figure: 94,360 diagnoses in 2005, with 18,650 deaths. To put this into a Carlin-like perspective, we must remember that there are over 305 million people in this country and over 6.7 billion on the planet.
 
The 1918-1919 flu epidemic killed 30 million people world-wide, and the common flu still takes 22,000 souls in this country each year.
So in large way, it is still about our immune systems and how much it can handle. That said, there are a number of things we can do to help them out and it begins with more germ awareness.
 
The CDC’s handwashing recommendations say that we should scrub our hands with plenty of soap and the warm water for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to hum the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice) and if possible, to use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. If you don’t have access to soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are worth the trouble. The CDC also reminds us to wash our hands after we do any of the following:
 
Changing diapers, after blowing your nose or sneezing, after touching any animal or pet, after handling garbage and before AND after tending to anyone who is sick.