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Friday, August 27, 2010

4th Grader Suspended For Sniffing Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer

just another story illustrating why many schools are migrating to non-alcohol based hand sanitizers..and burning up the alcohol-based produts

from CBS News, Woodland California

4th Grader Suspended For Sniffing Hand Sanitizer
More Local News
Reporting
Kris Pickel
WOODLAND, Calif. (CBS13) ―



A local 4th grader was suspended from school, after officials say he was caught sniffing hand [alcohol-based] sanitizer.

The mother says she tried to talk to the principal, who said the suspension was going to stand and would also be a mark on his record.

Matteo Meier, a 4th grader at Dingle Elementary, is feeling pummeled by a school punishment.

"I got in trouble and I got suspended," he says.

Matteo says friends at school told him to sniff hand sanitizer. He's done it occasionally since last year, but yesterday he got caught by a teacher who gave him a suspension and a scare.

The nine-year-old says he didn't know it was wrong, and didn't get a warning.

"If it was that bad, they could have made me lose recess instead of suspending me," he said.

There is a problem with the hand sanitizer violating the school zero tolerance drug use; CBS13 talked to poison control and a drug rehab center, and they've never heard of anyone getting high off smelling hand sanitizer.

After calls from CBS13, district officials looked into the case.

"I believe apologies will be made," says district official, Mike Steven, after being asked if Matteo would receive an apology.

Sarah Brett, Matteo's mother, believes there was a rush to judge her son, because of past behavior problems, which he's been working on.

Sarah says the hand sanitizer shows that kids are already experimenting, and the school should use this as a teachable moment.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Not Smart: Smart Cell Phones Spreading Germs; Hand Hygiene Horror?

Below article is courtesy of UK The Co-Operative Pharmacy, a publication of the Co-Operative Group; a global business enterprise employing 80,000 and annual revenue of $14 billion..

New technology, from smart and mobile phones to laptops, could be spreading illnesses and potentially killer diseases because of poor hand hygiene, according to research released today (16 August 2010) by The Co-operative Pharmacy.

Each year, more than 750 people die and almost one million people¹ are ill with bugs which can be passed on or contracted by not washing hands.

As part of its ethical strategy, The Co-operative Pharmacy commissioned the study by ICM² into hand hygiene, which revealed that one in three people use a mobile phone or BlackBerry when on the toilet while one in twenty people also surf on a laptop.

Almost one in three people admitted to not using soap or handwash and one in five people don’t always wash their hands after being on the loo.

Mobile and smart phones³ have been shown to be dirty and have high levels of bacteria, which indicate poor personal hygiene, and act as a breeding ground for other bugs.

The research by The Co-operative Pharmacy also found that one in ten people said they never or only sometimes washed their hands while people admitted to reading a newspaper or magazine (48 per cent), cleaning their teeth, drinking and eating when on the toilet.

John Nuttall, Managing Director of The Co-operative Pharmacy, said: “As a leading community pharmacy we believe it is vital to make people aware of the importance of good hand hygiene when visiting the toilet.

“In the UK, the new trend of using smart and mobile phones in addition to laptops on the toilet is inadvertently raising the risk of the spread of infections, which affect hundreds of thousands of people. The symptoms are very unpleasant for most people and, in some circumstances, can be fatal.”

Dr. Paul Cleary, Epidemiologist, Health Protection Agency, said: “Hand-washing is important at all times, but particularly after going to the toilet, before and after preparing food and before eating.

“Thorough handwashing with soap and water is the best protection against C diff and viral infections, such as the common cold, flu and norovirus. It also reduces the chances of cross-contamination when preparing food and therefore affords some protection against food-borne infections, such as salmonella and campylobacter.”

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Bacterial Outbreak Puts Florida Health Officials On Alert

(Fort Lauderdale, FL) -- There's a bad bacteria being passed around in Florida's Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

Doctors and hospitals have reported a spike in the number of cases of shigellosis.

So far the cases have been isolated, but experts say this may be a good time to remind kids about the importance of washing hands and proper hand hygiene solutions so they can avoid the illness, which causes intestinal problems.

Also, moms and dads changing dirty diapers should exercise caution.

It was three years ago when an outbreak of shigellosis in South Florida sickened nearly 400 people.