Hand Sanitizer versus Soap and Water, Which Is Better?
If you have kids, you might want to stock up on hand sanitizer. A new study out from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows having kids use hand sanitizer may be better in the long run than having them wash their hands with soap and water. Daycare centers are strongly encouraged to switch over to hand sanitizer.
The research suggests that when kids wash their hands the old fashioned way, with soap and water, they're less likely to do a good job. With soap and water, kids don't spend enough time washing the germs off. The study found kids who used hand sanitizer instead of soap and water had the least amount of sick days.
Dr. John Christenson helped out with the study. "Hand sanitizer not only reduced the number of respiratory infections in those children that were using it but at the same time reduced the number of prescriptions of antibiotics that had to be dispensed for a respiratory infection. Hand sanitizer worked better in the long run."
Source: Associated Press