KEEP THOSE HANDS TO YOURSELF TO REDUCE SPREAD OF DISEASE

The handshake is deeply ingrained in our culture. Other than the kiss, it’s the way we are taught to say hello, goodbye, or to “seal a deal.”

It is thought to be an ancient custom whereby strangers encountering each other could show that no weapon was being held, but the handshake may have outlived its usefulness. In fact, the Japanese and Europeans could have a better idea. Rather than shaking hands when they meet each other, the Japanese clasp their own hands and bow, and the Europeans peck each other on both cheeks.

No hands meet. And that may be a very good thing to think about when it comes to preventing the spread of infectious diseases, like the common cold, the norovirus (the flu), and the deadly MRSA bacteria.

It turns out that shaking hands is among the best ways to spread germs. According to a recent study by the London School of Hygiene, hands are a critical link in the chain of illness as they transmit infections from surfaces to people and person to person.

Actually, it turns out this warning is really nothing new. As far back as 1919, The New York Times reported on a Montclair, New Jersey health officer, John Gaub, who issued a warning about the dangers of “indiscriminate hand shaking” in his community.

Of course, you can always wash your hands after shaking with someone, which is the most effective way to stop the spread of viruses. A study of Detroit school children found that those who regularly washed their hands had 24 percent fewer sick days due to respiratory illness and 51 percent fewer due to stomach illness.

But unless handwashing is done perfectly, some germs may linger.

While most people think that viruses, particularly the flu, are spread through the air - the truth is they are most often passed from one person to another when the sick person rubs his nose and touches something like the handle you are about to use to open the bathroom door, or the keyboard you touch or the telephone you pick up. If you then touch your own eye or nose or mouth, you may initiate an infection from your newly contaminated hands.

While the flu season is still raging – and cities like Boston feel its worst effects with the tragic death of 12-year-old boy from the flu -- the potential for infection spreading continues to loom, it just makes sense to reinforce the simple and obvious ways that we can avoid getting sick

Wash your hands frequently. And stop shaking hands.
It’s not rude. It is a lesson in good health.