View Full Version : Faecal bacteria on *your* hands???
Just read an article, that initially just turned my stomach, but the more I think about it, the more worried I become.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7667499.stm
More than one in four commuters has bacteria from faeces on their hands, an investigation suggests.
The bacteria found suggested people were not washing their hands properly after using the toilet, said the researchers.
"The figures were far higher than we had anticipated, and suggest that there is a real problem with people washing their hands in the UK.- the winter vomiting bug - are rising and that the annual norovirus season is likely to have begun.
People not washing their hands after going to the toilet, and getting traces of feaces on their hands, and then unknowingly smearing it on every surface they then touch, on buses handrails, train doors, shop doors, etc... and then that is passed on to everyone else making contact with those surfaces... who then pass it on further.
Aaargghh... Now I can't stop thinking about what germs may be on all public surfaces, bus & trains, shop doors, office doors, etc. and all the possibilities for catching diseases from these surfaces.
Do Boots the Chemist sell boxes of 100 latex gloves?
milly jones
15-10-08, 19:16
i have this fear
i have to wipe my hands after touching communal things such as shopping trolleys, shared cutlery, toilets etc
i have a dedicated routine of how i wash my hands but can never account for others having the same routines
i carry wet wipes and antibacterial wash in my bag
and they wonder why we have such rituals???
I'm like Milly I carry antebacterial wash with me.
It is so gross that people don't wash their hands after going to the toilet. Dirty Bu[[ers.
Sheena
Its not a nice thought thinking about all those contaminated surfaces - could drive you crazy. :blush: I make sure I always wash my hands before preparing any food - might be easier than wearing latex gloves all day long.
It is true though some people are very lazy about personal hygiene.
eeyorelover
15-10-08, 19:31
Remember tho that antibacterials also kill off the good bacteria which helps to fight off the bad.
Some researchers believe that all the influx of antibacterials is what has caused new strains of flus and such.
Almost everything that you come in contact with has some sort of germs on it.
Did you know that your supposed to close the toilet seat when you flush because it can spray the nasty water over 10 feet?
And you shouldn't keep your toothbrush around your bathroom sink because it could be contaminated by bacteria when people wash their hands?
If I sat thinking about all this it would get me really weirded out!!!
I guess if you think about this too deeply it can make you feel bad, but as eeyore touched on, you cant wipe out all germs, its not realistic, and they do say that all of this sterilisation that we seem to do these days means our bodies dont know how to deal with bugs we do get, and if our children are never allowed to be exposed then their imune system cannot fight off the bugs as easily. Some experts modern homes are much too clean :ohmy:
:emot-puke: yuk that is horrid, i am careful wot i touch and wot i dont and i like my wipes.
I agree with David12, all you can do is wash your own hands after using the toilet and before touching food. There are bugs all over the place, exposure to some is actually probably good for your immune system.
Oh no, the germs are everywhere and will get you all.lol
I did read that because mums today have all those different cleaners and sprays to get rid of germs that the some children of today don't have the defences to fight off the germs. Bleach and disinfectant is all you need.
I have two dogs and if I washed my hands every time I touched them or smoothed them my hands would be red and raw.
Sheena
countrygirl
15-10-08, 21:13
I totally understand what its like as I never ever eat without washing my hands and if I am out with a packed lunch use a bit of wrapping round my sandwich which drives my husband crazy.
Worth thinking about - I live in a farm environment - the young farmer would make all you all faint with horror. I have seen this with my own eyes - he will be emptying the slurry tanks ( liquid cow shxt) to those ignorant of country ways! and he will be literally covered in it, hands ,face everywhere and he will wipe his hands down his filthy jeans and then eat a packet of crisps. I reckon he should donate himself to medical science as he is totally immune to all germs. Or he will have a cut on his hand that is open and he will then clean out infected sheeps feet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Charlottie
15-10-08, 21:37
This anti-bateria culture of today does my head in - especially dettol. If we didnt experience bad bacteria all the time our immune systems would be really weak and when we did catch a cold or whatever we'd get really ill!
yes that is very true, we do all worry too much and all these new fancy smelling cleaning sprays cant do us much good either.
i only use bleach for cleaning
Relax,
You need to remember you have an amazing immune system!!! other wise we would all be sick!
I have caught gastro and yes your unwell for a few days but your body kicks butt you know.
Eat plenty of fruit and veges clean your hands with soap and you will be ok,
Yes sure be careful, don't use unclean public toilets etc but don't get silly about it.
Try to realx and don't you dare let your anxiety run with this one or you could end up house bound ok!
Veronica H
16-10-08, 10:57
Hi Kendo
I am allergic to Latex. I also read recently that the tube in London is infested with bed bugs argh.!!!.My husband often calls me Howard Hughes (anyone who has seen the film The Aviator will relate) because I keep asking the family if they have washed their hands everytime they reach for a utensil or approach the food cupboards.....don't get me started.
Veronica
Man this has me laughing to myself.
I am almost OCD with germs. I remember at Whipsnade zoo, in the loo going for a wee, this geezer came out of the cubicle and walked straight out without washing his hands.
After I washed my hands, I thought I aint touching that door handle, and stood there like a muppet waiting for the guy at the dryer to hurry up and open the door.
Yes I did get a funny look ;)
This topic made me feel sick, with anxiety. I had severe OCD which lasted 7 years, I was SURE I or my child was going to contract HIV from any body fluids/matter.
My hands where indeed red raw, cracked and bleeding from excessive hand washing (sometimes in bleach). I used to wash money, wipe door handles hourly, even bleach the carpet if someone walked in I didn't 'trust'. The list was endless of the rituals I performed until I was exhausted.
This is why I guess, I avoid the OCD section, cos remembering how I was until recently makes me feel sickened to the core.
I have recovered, almost. That is a plus point, but years of living with the fear of dying through some one else's poor hygiene makes me so mad.
anyway
Julia
Jacko, you wanna see me trying to do a karate kick or elbow manouvre trying to open public loo door handles. Dirty swines :lac: .
Jacko, you wanna see me trying to do a karate kick or elbow manouvre trying to open public loo door handles. Dirty swines :lac: .
Hihihihihi I do that too! I'm getting very good at using my leg n foot at opening the doors:D
freakedout
25-10-08, 00:35
Hello everyone.
Couldnt resist replying to this thread. Eeeek, yes isn't it easy to get carried away with the thoughts of contamination. I have to say, the image of opening doors with your feet instantly made me think of dog sh*t contamination, so the threat of contamination from faecal matter is not only potentially human.... Sorry, but I hate and loathe dog sh*t and it is enough to send me into a frenzy should any be trodden into my house. I even have a warning on my front door cos next time it happens I might kill someone!! If it were just a case of cleaning it up then fine, but the need to clean it up persists for days, and extends from the floor to door frames, stair rails, doors, in fact everywhere that might have potentially been contaminated. Arrrgggggghhhhhh. Its madness isnt it.
Good thread Kendo.
Freaky
worrywart2
15-11-08, 12:45
Hello everyone,
You should see the hilarious spectacle of me trying to leave public toilets after washing my hands. If I have to pull a handle to exit, I will try to go for the very top of the handle thinking that people don't touch that part (despite knowing that any germs would spread anyway !!), I will try to grip the handle with my little finger, because if i needed to eat or scratch my face etc i'm unlikely to use my little finger. Before this spectacle has taken place, i hold tissue paper to avoid contact with the flush, the same tissue paper to open the toilet door, and then I try to switch on the push taps using my fists or the palm of my hands as i hate touching these things with my fingers !!
I've been obsessive about having to use throws on my sofas if people are visiting because you dont know where they have been sitting before and what germs they may have picked up and bring onto your sofa. I have then had a fear of laying down on my sofa to relax because I could be breathing in these germs. The list of fears seems almost endless when you develop a germ phobia. It is so self limiting.
I watched a program years ago about how farm workers who are exposed to many more germs are far healthier, yet the overuse of bleaches etc kills many good strains of ecoli which our bodies need to build resistance to more harmful strains. So it seems in our quest to protect ourselves from our worst fears, we are probably not doing our bodies any favours, and the stress we cause ourselves through our anxieites doesnt do our immune system many favours either. We all know that stress amkes us ill.
Despite being armed with all this knowledge, and knowing the truth, it is ironic that the habits and compulsions we develop from our fears can grip us so tightly. I've got quite a long way to go yet !
I have other compulsions revolving around setting a few alarm clocks at bedtime and constant rechecking of locking doors and checking gas taps on the cooker. Going away on holiday can be a real nightmare to try and leave the house as I have to check things so many times. I can really laugh at myself for this, reflecting on it in writing this anonymously, and hopefully joining this site today will be a positive step to help with some advice from other people who have been helped with trying to overcome compulsions and learned to live with panic. I dont think I am ready to delve into the OCD forums yet, in case I read stuff which will cause me to fear other things I havent even thought of yet lol !
Thats my introduction about me, and a little bit about where I am now. I have read every thread in this forum this morning, and its helped me to think about these limits i place on my daily living, and helped me to confront it and talk about it on here. So I want to thank you all. My humour gets me through, i hope the funny spectacle of me trying to negotiate public toilets amused you. Ps I forgot to mention that I side step into the toilet cubicle like a crab and try to close the door without my clothes touching any part of the toilet !!!! But hey, maybe I am not alone in that. I am sure many of us with this public toilet phobia have developed very similar avoidance strategies.
If I could take a video of myself entering these places, from when I walk in to when I walk out, and then play it back in the cold light of day, I would either be mortified or crack up laughing !!
Veronica H
15-11-08, 14:20
:welcome: Worrywart, What are we like? I press the button on the pelican crossing with my coat sleeve pulled down over my hand. I can't look at that button without thinking of all the other 'unwashed' hands that have pressed it.
Best wishes
Veronica
Man this has me laughing to myself.
I am almost OCD with germs. I remember at Whipsnade zoo, in the loo going for a wee, this geezer came out of the cubicle and walked straight out without washing his hands.
After I washed my hands, I thought I aint touching that door handle, and stood there like a muppet waiting for the guy at the dryer to hurry up and open the door.
Yes I did get a funny look ;)
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
Sorry but that really made me laugh.:roflmao:
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