CAN ALCOHOL-BASED HAND GELS SERVE AS A SUITABLE ALTERNATIVE TO HANDWASHING FOR RETAIL and FOOD SERVICE WORKERS?
CDC recently issued “CDC Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings” (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, October 25, 2002). The guidance document recommends alcohol-based hand gel as a suitable alternative to handwashing for health-care personnel in health-care settings. These guidelines were not intended to apply to food establishments. This exclusion is based on the differences in controlling common nosocomial pathogens in health-care settings and common foodborne pathogens in retail and food service settings. Some significant differences between health-care settings and retail/ food service settings include: • TYPES OF PATHOGENS The pathogens most commonly transmitted by hands in health-care settings differ from those in retail and food service settings. In health-care, nosocomial bacterial pathogens and lipophilic viruses predominate, while in food service and retail establishments we are primarily concerned with a different set of fecal pathogens. Common nosocomial pat
