Doctors and hospital staff disinfect their hands regularly with an alcohol based hand rub to limit the spread of bacteria and infection. But a new study from a team at the University of Melbourne have discovered that superbugs are developing resistance to the alcohol in the hand rub.
The most common superbug is Enterococcus faecium which grows in the gut. It gets into the bloodstream & causes sepsis and diseases like neonatal meningitis & endocarditis.
This superbug is on the rise in UK and Australian hospitals, mainly affecting people who are seriously ill.
It’s resistant to almost all antibiotics so it needs to be controlled.
A greater variety of hospital disinfectants is recommended and vigilant screening of patients for infections.
Scary? Rest assured, for those common hospital bugs alcohol hand rubs are still effective.
But at home, unless someone has an infection, minimise the use of alcohol hand rubs. And wash your hands with soap and water after the bathroom and before you prepare food