Phone:  (314) 362-6816
Fax:        (314) 362-1995
esafety@msnotes.wustl.edu

 Hand-transmission is a critical factor in the spread of bacteria, pathogens, viruses that cause disease, foodborne illness and nosocomial infections (infections acquired while in healthcare and unrelated to the original condition). While everyone is vulnerable, over one-third of the population is at high risk, including the elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems (including those with the common cold or a seasonal flu).

In health care, nurses and doctors wash only 30% of the required time between patient contacts and procedures. Each year, an alarming 2,400,000+ nosocomial infections occur in the US alone. They are estimated to directly cause 30,000 deaths and contribute to another 70,000 deaths each year. Nosocomial infections cost over $2,300 per incident and $4.5 billion annually in extended care and treatment (Source: CDC).

Health care workers, through patient contact, are a leading cause of transmission of nosocomial infection. In the case of Hepatitis B, health care workers are between 5 and 15 times more likely to contract the virus than the general US population (Association of Infection Control Professionals). According to JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, the money saved by preventing nosocomial infections outweighs the cost of a program to control the spread of nosocomial infections.

Less threatening to human life but still very costly in manufacturing and lab environments, microscopic contaminants, particulate, and epidermal oils are routinely transferred to equipment, clothing, and work-in-process resulting in inefficiencies, redundancy, and cost overruns.

Nosocomial infection is the most common immediate cause of death in nursing home patients, and the leading cause of patient hospitalization. The CDC estimates over 1.5 million cases of nosocomial infection in long-term care facilities and nursing homes occur each year, or an average of one infection per year per patient.

"In spite of all the studies about the benefits of handwashing, improper or infrequent handwashing continues to be a major factor in the spread of disease in day-care", that according to a study published in the medical journal, Infectious Diseases in Children. Researchers recovered fecal coliforms from the hands of one out of every five staff members, citing that more than 33% of daycare facilities "had poor handwashing techniques and no policy for handwashing before eating or after playing outside. In spite of all the studies about the benefits of handwashing, improper or infrequent handwashing continues to be a major factor in the spread of disease in day-care".

 Foodborne Illness

Foodborne illness kills over 10,000 people each year. Over 70% of all outbreaks originate in foodservice operations and, as many as 40% are the result of poor handwashing and cross-contamination. Each year over 80 million estimated cases of food poisoning occur in the United States alone. The US spends between $7.6 and $23 billion annually on health care and lost productivity resulting from foodborne illness. The average incident costs the foodservice company over $75,000 and results in significant future sales losses. (Source: FDA)