Keep those hands clean!
Fruitville Elementary School third grade science teacher Andrew Jaffee joined with three area health officials on Oct. 15 to conduct a classroom experiment: Does hand sanitizer do as good a job as soap in removing germs from people’s hands?
The health officials were Crystal Bruce, county health department health educator and Clean Hands Campaign coordinator; Amy Ballantyne, Sarasota Memorial Hospital Microbiology Lab supervisor; and Connie Toops, a registered nurse with the Sarasota County School District who is the Florida School Nurse of the Year.
The students used laboratory cultures to see first-hand how germs gather on unwashed hands. Then they participated in the hand-washing challenge. Ballantyne collected the results to take back to the hospital lab.
Amy Ballantyne of Sarasota Memorial Hospital does a culture plate on Zachary Smith before he washes his hands.
Crystal Bruce demonstrates the proper way to use hand sanitizer to Abby Nott, Hailey Shelton, Chloe Ewing and Serena Dillard.
The experiment was part of CleanHandsCampaign.org, a grassroots effort launched in September by hospitals and health departments in Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties to reinforce the importance of hand washing "as a critical defense against the flu," a news release notes.
And the results: "In the end, it was a bit of a draw," Kim Savage, spokesperson for the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, told the Pelican Press. The hand sanitizer did a better job overall of reducing bacteria, but that included normal skin "flora," she said, which can be useful in maintaining good health.
Germs show up in the blue light. Photos by Rebecca Wild Baxter.
The hand washing removed certain bacteria that the sanitizer could not, Savage said.
Among the more unusual findings: The bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, found commonly in soil and water and most man-made environments, was present in some samples. It generally causes swimmer’s ear.