Shaking hands is risky for your health. At least, more than another less formal greeting: the “check.” “Knocking your fists would indeed reduce the risk of bacteria transmission.
This is a study that may revolutionize the way you greet your boss in the morning. Researchers fromAberystwyth University, in Wales (United Kingdom) showed that the transmission of microbes was particularly important during a handshake … unlike the “check”, or “Fist Bump” in the United States , a salute which consists in hitting one’s fists in a friendly manner. The results of their study appear in the August edition of theAmerican Journal of Infection Control.
Various greetings tested
Dr Whitworth and his team tested several types of salutes, involving hand contact, to determine which one increased the risk of contamination the most. We cannot say that their experimental process lacked originality. After putting on their gloves, they actually dipped their hands in a tank, inside which macerated a culture broth of the bacteria. E. Coli, normally present in the intestinal flora. Some of these bacteria can be pathogenic, sometimes leading to gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections or even meningitis.
The researchers thus tried several hand touches, ranging from a simple grip to elaborate “checks”. And they determined that hitting his fist against the other’s was the least risky salute. Shaking hands with the other, for comparison, transmitted ten times more bacteria. They therefore call for the generalization of the “check” to limit contagion.
Hand hygiene comes first
Despite an apparently light subject, there is behind this study a real message of prevention. Advocating to limit handshakes, during an influenza epidemic for example, could have very positive consequences, and slow the spread of the disease. The researchers would also like to see it disappear from hospitals, where the risk of transmitting bacteria is higher. An idea that had already developed other studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), advocating to ban handshakes in all health establishments.
But it may not be useful to go that far. The researchers point out that above all, it is a good washing of hands that will really limit the risks of transmission of bacteria. So, before you start waving your fists to all of your friends, think about this simple, yet proven, gesture.
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