Daily HealthBeat Tip - August 20, 2007

Pet the bunny? Wash your hands

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

The animals in the petting zoo are cute. What’s not cute are the germs on those little animals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that, over the past decade, there have been more cases of infectious diseases from animal exhibits.

CDC’s Casey Barton Behravesh says part of the problem is hand to mouth infection. Hands that pet animals or touch animal areas can pick up germs like E. coli, which can cause serious infections. So she says those hands need to be washed:

"Hands should be washed with soap and water right after visiting the animal area, even if you did not touch an animal. Scrub your hands vigorously for about the time it takes to sing the happy birthday song twice." (11 seconds)

And use enough soap and water to make lots of bubbles.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 20 2007