CDC Issues New Hand Hygiene Guidelines

“The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new hand hygiene guidelines here Friday that recommend that healthcare facilities across the nation begin to use alcohol-based hand rubs to cut the risk of spreading germs to patients. Related: “So-called antibacterial soaps are no better at killing germs than ordinary soaps, according to a study presented here Thursday at the Infectious Disease Society of America’s annual meeting.” Reuters Health

The spread of germs from hospitalized patient to patient on the hands of caregivers has been deemed the greatest single contribution to the contemporary epidemic of hospital-borne infections.