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Expert warns of the dangers of kids' dirty handkerchiefs

Health experts yesterday warned parents to be aware of germs that could be lurking on their children's handkerchiefs.

According to a study released yesterday, a handkerchief used for more than one day can accumulate more than 100,000 bacteria.

The study, conducted among kindergarten children in Taipei City, was carried out by assistant professor Chen Yao-kuan (陳耀寬) of the Chao Yang University of Technology, a report in the Chinese-language paper, the United Evening News said.

According to the report, it said the study had found that 60 percent of the handkerchief samples tested were found to harbor colon bacillus and staphylococcus aureaus, bacteria that could cause diarrhea and skin infections.

Chen was quoted by the paper as saying that the amount of bacteria on a handkerchief that has been used for one day is three times as much as that found on a piece of two-day old meat.

"Handkerchiefs can accumulate a lot of bacteria when used to wipe away sweat or to clean hands, faces and mouths. A handkerchief used for one day is basically a piece of dirty cloth," Chen said, urging parents to be alert to the spread of enterovirus, a common illness in summer among young children.

He suggested disposable wet wipe tissues as the best alternatives to handkerchiefs to guarantee sanitation if handkerchiefs are not washed after a day's use.

Wet wipes can also guarantee good hand hygiene, he said.
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