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Immunity
Read On Before Checking Into Your Next Hotel…
Date: 18/03/11
Keywords: Diarrhoea, E.coli, Flu (Influenza), Gastritis, Immune System, Immunity, Infections, Influenza
With so many airborne diseases doing the round and constant reminders that we need to strengthen our immune systems against superbugs infections, one would think that public places (like hotels) would maintain a certain standard of hygiene...
Let’s face it, it’s virtually impossible to live in a germ- free environment... and it probably wouldn’t be a good thing anyway, as it would ultimately prevent us from developing a strong immune system... one able to resist a wide range of harmful viruses and bacteria.
Having said that, there are certain places where we would expect to find a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness — like hotel rooms for instance.
Itsy bitsy spider
About three years ago, I went on a business trip to France. On my way back to London, I had a stopover in Paris for two evenings, giving me the perfect opportunity to explore the ‘City of Lights’. As a treat I booked myself into one of those fancy boutique hotels... However, my excitement and enthusiasm soon turned into a nightmare.
On the morning of my departure, I was woken up by a stinging pain in my neck. On closer inspection, I realised I had been bitten by something whilst I was sleeping. When I threw back the covers, I found gazillions of tiny little white spiders crawling all over the bed...
I was horrified to say the least. My two-hour journey back to London that Sunday was agonising and by the time I got home, my entire body was a swollen red mess... Now, spiders in Europe aren’t deadly, but their venom can cause a lot of harm as I soon discovered. By Monday morning, I realised the full-scale of my spider attack and counted nearly 400 bites... and that is no exaggeration!
As a result, I went into anaphylactic shock and had to receive emergency treatment...
Of course, this is an extreme example, and while spiders aren’t exactly germs, it still makes you wonder what may be lurking around in your hotel room...
Scrubbing up not so well
Philip Tierno, director of microbiology and immunology at New York University's Langone Medical Centre, in the US, is one man who’s very uncomfortable about staying in hotels and with good reason too... he knows too much!
In fact, whenever Tierno has to stay in hotels, he travels with an impervious mattress and pillow cover to protect against the unseen debris that guests leave behind, literally buried over time, in those supposedly clean, fluffy and comfy beds.
It doesn’t take much to imagine the kind of horrors that may be lurking around in a hotel mattress, but here's a sampling for those who may still be wondering: skin cells (humans shed about 1.5 million cells or cell clusters an hour when they sleep), human hair, bodily secretions, fungi, bacteria, dust, dust mites, lint, insect parts, pollen, cosmetics... and more.
Tierno says that some of the newer hotels use the type of impervious, waterproof covers he carries with him, but most don't. While the covers were developed for allergy sufferers, Tierno encourages everyone to use them at home and on the road. So, best to check with your hotel when you make your reservation whether they use allergy barriers on their beds.
Another no-no, are the bedspreads according to Tierno. Hotel bedspreads, or the quilts inside duvet covers, don't get thrown in with the sheets for a daily wash.
According to Reneta McCarthy, a lecturer at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, in the US, hotels schedule periodic deep cleanings for rooms. This might include pulling furniture away from walls to clean, flipping mattresses, cleaning vents, shampooing carpets, changing mattress pads and replacing blankets and bedspreads.
McCarthy started out in the industry as a housekeeping manager for a major US hotel chain and she adds that in some cases, the cover that protects a duvet may not be changed from one guest to another if the bed has a top and bottom sheet...
Eeeuw!!!
Take these sensible precautions when you check-in
Tierno has conducted a number of scientific hotel room studies over the years and has found that improper cleaning techniques, such as using the same cleaning cloth in the bathroom and on the remote control, is one of the main culprits for spreading germs around... In fact, the germiest thing in your hotel room may actually be the TV remote!
Germs also tend to congregate in other places touched multiple times by multiple people that may not be cleaned thoroughly, if at all — the interior doorknob, the telephone and the alarm clock.
While Tierno acknowledges, "There's no raging problem of communicable diseases contracted in hotels," cold, flu and gastrointestinal viruses can be spread by touching unclean surfaces. He adds, "When you have people, unfortunately you have transmission of germs."
In light of this, here are some simple and easy steps to take when you enter a hotel room:
Germiest place on earth
Still on the topic of hygiene in public places...
Most of us wouldn’t think twice before putting our hands on the plastic handle of a shopping trolley... However, the next time you head to the supermarket, you might want to arm yourself with some wipes, and maybe some disposable gloves before you grab a trolley.
According to US researchers at the University of Arizona, who swabbed the handles of 85 shopping trolleys looking for bacterial contamination, those trolleys are actually dirtier than a public bathroom!
The study found that in 72 per cent of the shopping trolleys tested, well over half, showed traces of faecal matter. And half of that faecal matter was contaminated with E. coli, which can lead to:
The truth is bacteria accumulates quickly and spreads rapidly on many surfaces, including your hands. Improper hand washing by just one patron at a supermarket can contaminate a shopping trolley for days at a time, as bacteria survives on plastic longer than on most other surfaces.
In order to protect yourself from bacterial infection while shopping, wipe down any shopping trolley handles you come into contact with.
Related Articles
Manuka honey is showing potential against deadly hospital super bugs like MRSA
Immunity: Liquid olive leaf extract contains superior disease-fighting compounds than conventional olive oil
Colloidal silver helps boost immunity and fights infections
Sources:
‘A microscopic look at hotel hygiene’ published online, 25.02.11, edition.cnn.com
‘Faecal Matter Found on 72 Percent of Grocery Carts’ published online 03.03.11, foxnews.com
‘Carts one of dirtiest places in grocery store, study says’ published online, 02.03.11, usatoday.com
Back to topHaving said that, there are certain places where we would expect to find a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness — like hotel rooms for instance.
Itsy bitsy spider
About three years ago, I went on a business trip to France. On my way back to London, I had a stopover in Paris for two evenings, giving me the perfect opportunity to explore the ‘City of Lights’. As a treat I booked myself into one of those fancy boutique hotels... However, my excitement and enthusiasm soon turned into a nightmare.
On the morning of my departure, I was woken up by a stinging pain in my neck. On closer inspection, I realised I had been bitten by something whilst I was sleeping. When I threw back the covers, I found gazillions of tiny little white spiders crawling all over the bed...
I was horrified to say the least. My two-hour journey back to London that Sunday was agonising and by the time I got home, my entire body was a swollen red mess... Now, spiders in Europe aren’t deadly, but their venom can cause a lot of harm as I soon discovered. By Monday morning, I realised the full-scale of my spider attack and counted nearly 400 bites... and that is no exaggeration!
As a result, I went into anaphylactic shock and had to receive emergency treatment...
Of course, this is an extreme example, and while spiders aren’t exactly germs, it still makes you wonder what may be lurking around in your hotel room...
Scrubbing up not so well
Philip Tierno, director of microbiology and immunology at New York University's Langone Medical Centre, in the US, is one man who’s very uncomfortable about staying in hotels and with good reason too... he knows too much!
In fact, whenever Tierno has to stay in hotels, he travels with an impervious mattress and pillow cover to protect against the unseen debris that guests leave behind, literally buried over time, in those supposedly clean, fluffy and comfy beds.
It doesn’t take much to imagine the kind of horrors that may be lurking around in a hotel mattress, but here's a sampling for those who may still be wondering: skin cells (humans shed about 1.5 million cells or cell clusters an hour when they sleep), human hair, bodily secretions, fungi, bacteria, dust, dust mites, lint, insect parts, pollen, cosmetics... and more.
Tierno says that some of the newer hotels use the type of impervious, waterproof covers he carries with him, but most don't. While the covers were developed for allergy sufferers, Tierno encourages everyone to use them at home and on the road. So, best to check with your hotel when you make your reservation whether they use allergy barriers on their beds.
Another no-no, are the bedspreads according to Tierno. Hotel bedspreads, or the quilts inside duvet covers, don't get thrown in with the sheets for a daily wash.
According to Reneta McCarthy, a lecturer at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, in the US, hotels schedule periodic deep cleanings for rooms. This might include pulling furniture away from walls to clean, flipping mattresses, cleaning vents, shampooing carpets, changing mattress pads and replacing blankets and bedspreads.
McCarthy started out in the industry as a housekeeping manager for a major US hotel chain and she adds that in some cases, the cover that protects a duvet may not be changed from one guest to another if the bed has a top and bottom sheet...
Eeeuw!!!
Take these sensible precautions when you check-in
Tierno has conducted a number of scientific hotel room studies over the years and has found that improper cleaning techniques, such as using the same cleaning cloth in the bathroom and on the remote control, is one of the main culprits for spreading germs around... In fact, the germiest thing in your hotel room may actually be the TV remote!
Germs also tend to congregate in other places touched multiple times by multiple people that may not be cleaned thoroughly, if at all — the interior doorknob, the telephone and the alarm clock.
While Tierno acknowledges, "There's no raging problem of communicable diseases contracted in hotels," cold, flu and gastrointestinal viruses can be spread by touching unclean surfaces. He adds, "When you have people, unfortunately you have transmission of germs."
In light of this, here are some simple and easy steps to take when you enter a hotel room:
- Turn down the bedspread or duvet cover and pull it to the end of the bed, avoid coming into contact with it as much as you can.
- Wipe down the sink faucets, bathroom countertop, toilet handle and shower faucets with a damp towel or hand disinfectant (the gel-type you can pick-up at the Duty Free at the airport).
- Wipe down all door handles and knobs including the entryway and bathroom, phone, TV remote, and refrigerator.
- Avoid using water glasses in the room. A recent investigation showed that many hotel chains do not clean the glasses at all. So it would be safe to assume that they are dirty and have merely been wiped to ‘look clean’ and could easily have been used by previous guests.
Germiest place on earth
Still on the topic of hygiene in public places...
Most of us wouldn’t think twice before putting our hands on the plastic handle of a shopping trolley... However, the next time you head to the supermarket, you might want to arm yourself with some wipes, and maybe some disposable gloves before you grab a trolley.
According to US researchers at the University of Arizona, who swabbed the handles of 85 shopping trolleys looking for bacterial contamination, those trolleys are actually dirtier than a public bathroom!
The study found that in 72 per cent of the shopping trolleys tested, well over half, showed traces of faecal matter. And half of that faecal matter was contaminated with E. coli, which can lead to:
- Severe stomach cramps and stomach tenderness.
- Diarrhoea, watery at first, but often becoming very bloody.
- Nausea and vomiting.
The truth is bacteria accumulates quickly and spreads rapidly on many surfaces, including your hands. Improper hand washing by just one patron at a supermarket can contaminate a shopping trolley for days at a time, as bacteria survives on plastic longer than on most other surfaces.
In order to protect yourself from bacterial infection while shopping, wipe down any shopping trolley handles you come into contact with.
Related Articles
Manuka honey is showing potential against deadly hospital super bugs like MRSA
Immunity: Liquid olive leaf extract contains superior disease-fighting compounds than conventional olive oil
Colloidal silver helps boost immunity and fights infections
Sources:
‘A microscopic look at hotel hygiene’ published online, 25.02.11, edition.cnn.com
‘Faecal Matter Found on 72 Percent of Grocery Carts’ published online 03.03.11, foxnews.com
‘Carts one of dirtiest places in grocery store, study says’ published online, 02.03.11, usatoday.com
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