For effective hand hygiene, water temperature matters less than time, according to a study published in the Journal of Food Protection. Researchers contaminated the hands of volunteers with high levels of a harmless bacteria several times over six months. The participants were then asked to wash their hands in 60-degree, 79-degree or 100-degree water. The…

There is limited understanding of patients’ and health care professionals’ perceptions about appropriate patient involvement in promoting hand hygiene compliance in the hospital setting, according to a review published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Mamdooh Alzyood, from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom, and colleagues identified studies published between January 2009 and July…

Even after a thorough cleaning, traces of diarrhea-causing bacteria can remain on hospital bed sheets, researchers report. The new study suggests that linens could transmit Clostridium difficile infections between patients, and even between hospitals, according to the British researchers. “The findings of this study may explain some sporadic outbreaks of C. difficile infections in hospitals…

The common cold and flu usually have many common symptoms, such as sore throat, coughing and sneezing, which makes the two difficult to distinguish. After a period of illness, the symptoms begin to appear differently, which makes the treatment prolonged. If you get the flu, a little discomfort, it can even be life-threatening. Symptoms: 1.…

Over this past year, lifestyle blogger Aileen Xu has kept a monthly gratitude list. Sometimes it was the big stuff: “I’m grateful that my family is so understanding. I’m grateful so many people care.” And sometimes it was life’s little blessings: “July 2018: I’m grateful for good hair after I shower.” Xu started making such…

Like many kids, Lisa Sparrell’s daughter never liked getting shots at the doctor’s office. “At first she’d cry some, but was quickly placated with rewards like a lollipop or a sticker,” says Sparrell, who lives in Honolulu. But last year, Sparrell’s 10-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a heart defect. In preparation for surgery, the little…

Lyme disease was once unheard of in western Pennsylvania, where Barbara Thorne, now an entomologist at the University of Maryland, spent time as a kid. Thorne knew that if black-legged ticks are infected with bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, they can transmit Lyme to people and, that if untreated, symptoms can range from fever, fatigue and…

When Scott Carney first saw the photo of a nearly naked man sitting comfortably on a glacier in the frigid cold, he was skeptical. The man — Wim Hof — is a Dutch athlete who claims to control his body temperature in extreme cold through sheer force of will. Exercising in the cold, Hof argues,…

It’s that time of year again. You wake up with a scratchy throat, stuffy nose, a little achy — maybe a fever. Is it a classic head cold, or do you need to be more concerned? Could it be the flu? “There’s lots of confusion out there, because both are viral respiratory illnesses,” says Dr.…

This is the story of a man whose ideas could have saved a lot of lives and spared countless numbers of women and newborns’ feverish and agonizing deaths. You’ll notice I said “could have.” The year was 1846, and our would-be hero was a Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis. Semmelweis was a man of his…