Debate persists on deadly flu made airborne

The young scientist, normally calm and measured, seemed edgy when he stopped by his boss's office.

"You are not going to believe this one," he told Ron Fouchier, a virologist at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam. "I think we have an airborne H5N1 virus."

The news, delivered one afternoon last July, was chilling. It meant that Dr. Fouchier's research group had taken one of the most dangerous flu viruses ever known and made it even more dangerous - by tweaking it genetically to make it more contagious.

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Germ Free Travel

Be safe with germ free Products. Click HERE to learn more about staying germ-free when you travel.

New Flu Virus Strain Emerges

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Disease specialists are carefully monitoring the case of a Minnesota infant who developed a unique type of H1N1. It’s called the H1N2 virus and it’s only the second case ever detected anywhere.

The Minnesota Department of Health is minimizing the threat but at the same time, they are saying this is an example of how difficult the flu virus is to pin down. That is also why the threat is always there that a new deadly strain can always emerge.

The H1N2 virus is common in pigs in the Upper Midwest. Until this year, only one case had been ever known to occur in humans and that was in 2007 in Michigan.

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Antibiotic-resistant infections spread through Europe

Experts blame overuse of medicines for huge rise in bacteria that are almost impossible to treat

The world is being driven towards the "unthinkable scenario of untreatable infections", experts are warning, because of the growth of superbugs resistant to all antibiotics and the dwindling interest in developing new drugs to combat them.

Reports are increasing across Europe of patients with infections that are nearly impossible to treat. The European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) said yesterday that in some countries up to 50 per cent of cases of blood poisoning caused by one bug – K. pneumoniae, a common cause of urinary and respiratory conditions – were resistant to carbapenems, the most powerful class of antibiotics.

Across Europe, the percentage of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae has doubled from 7 per cent to 15 per cent. The ECDC said it is "particularly worrying" because carbapenems are the last-line antibiotics for treatment of multi-drug-resistant infections.

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The Top 7 Dirtiest Surfaces

A recent article on the web site "Care2.com" identified the 7 most commonly touched dirty surfaces.  They are:

1. Gas Pump Handles
2. Mailbox Handles
3. Escalator Rails
4. ATM Buttons
5. Parking Meters/Kiosks
6. Crosswalk Buttons
7. Vending Machine Buttons

To read the full article, click HERE.

To protect yourself against being infected or contaminated by touching these surfaces, buy Germ Free HandZ through our site!

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Our shopping cart is protected with up to 256-bit Secure Sockets Layer encryption.  Your orders are safe!

Don't touch!

Study confirms your worst fears about public potties

By Bill Briggs

No. 1: A new study on the germ orgies going down in America’s public restrooms truly puts the “P” in repulsive, repugnant and “Hey, how awesome are my Depends?”

No. 2: If you can, maybe just hold it until you get home.

Going for a bathroom break? You may want to rethink that.

Yes, we’re talking about relieving those two basic bodily functions and doing so in some of most bacteria-bedecked spaces anywhere. As long suspected, bathroom surfaces in U.S. restaurants, airplanes, stores, hospitals and other busy locales are often heavily contaminated with illness-causing microbes – and, in some cases, the bug colonies are even too large to measure, according to a paper to be presented Friday to the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Boston.

“I was surprised (at the sheer quantity of creepy crawlies) but, at same time, I wasn’t surprised because people use these things and people touch things,” said Dr. Lennox Archibald, an epidemiologist at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine.

“It does make you step back a bit and stake stock of the whole hand-hygiene thing,” added Archibald, who will present the findings. “And yes, it could make one paranoid.”

From December 2010 through last February, Archibald and his colleagues swabbed and cultured faucets, paper-dispenser levers, and door handles inside the bathrooms of four aircraft and 18 other crowded spots such as fast-food restaurants. Names of the businesses were not released. Among the types of microscopic critters commonly discovered were staphylococcus (which can cause fevers and chills) and bacillus (which can cause diarrhea).

“For several restrooms, the quantity of microorganisms was too numerous to count,” Archibald’s paper reports. “…To date, there have been virtually no quantitative or qualitative assessments of the range of bacteria contaminating public restrooms.”

Given these invisible fecal fests, should we simply cross our legs, squeeze our thighs and endure the pain instead of accessing public restrooms?

“If you have to use it, you have to use it,” Archibald said. “You just have to be careful where you touch after you wash your hands.” Ideally, public bathrooms should be stocked with paper towels so that your skin needn't come into contact with anything yucky.

Then again, he added: “You can wash your hands till the cows come home. (If we swab your freshly scrubbed palms and culture the results), you are going to grow something.”

Bill Briggs is a frequent contributor to msnbc.com and author of “The Third Miracle.”

Germ-Free School Year

The school year always brings new friends, new teachers, new assignments, and unfortunately some new germs. But not to worry, a new school year doesn't have to mean new illnesses!

Follow these tips and you might score a perfect attendance record this year!

1. Wash your hands with soap and water after you sneeze, cough, or use the bathroom. Count to 20 or sing a couple of rounds of Row, Row, Row Your Boat while you scrub!

2. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren't available. (WEBMASTER NOTE: Or use Germ Free HandZ for even better protection!)

3. Use a tissue when you need to sneeze or cough. Throw your tissues in the trash—don't attempt a Guinness World Record for the biggest pile of dirty tissues!

4. If you can't stifle a cough or sneeze in a tissue quickly enough, sneeze into the crook of your elbow.

5. Take a multi-vitamin every day.

6. Don't share water bottles or drinks. Your friend might not know he or she is sick and spread germs to you.

7.  Don't share your hair brush or hat. Little creatures like head lice could be hiding out and could be passed on from one person to another.

8. Stay home from school, sports practice, and parties if you feel sick or have a fever.

9. Wash your dishes with detergent and very warm water to kill germs.

10. Stay away from family gatherings and reunions if you are sick or if one of your family members is sick. Grandma and Grandpa and younger cousins may have a stronger reaction to the illness than you do.

11. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet can help boost your immune system and help you fight off illnesses before they make you sick!

12. Sleep eight or more hours every night. A strong body will help you fend off infections.

13. Wash your hands after you high five, fist bump or shake someone's hand.

14. Don't double dip into the salsa or dip.

15. Get some fresh air and exercise every day. Outside air often carries fewer germs than stagnant indoor air.

16. Avoid crowded places like movie theaters and shopping malls if the flu has been reported in your town.

17. Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. These areas are germ spreaders.

18. Don't share ear buds with friends. They can harbor loads of germs.

19. Blow kisses to your sick friends and family instead of kisses and hugs.

20. Get a flu shot if your doctor or school recommends it.

Article courtesy of Kids National Geographic.

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Winter Special

Enjoy huge savings on Germ Free HandZ, now through March 15th, 2012.

- Get three 40-use bottles of Germ Free HandZ - each a normal $3.95 value for just $9.99 - INCLUDING shipping & handling!

That's over $15 in total value - yours for just $9.99 complete! To order, click HERE.

Could "Contagion" Really Happen?

Click HERE to find out.

Living the Germ Free Lifestyle

Here's a handy tip: keep one of our 3-product travel packs in your travel carry-on.  Each bottle is 2 oz., so the pack will pass airport screening. When you get on the plane, spray the seat and seat arms with Vitacide to kill any germs that may be present.  Before using your tray table, spritz a little NatureMagiX on it, wipe it with a napkin, and then spray on the Vitacide. You'll be protecting yourself against any germs that the last passenger left behind.