WithSoap andWater orSanitizer①， aCleaningThatCanStaveOff theFluByTaraParker-Pope刘志强选注【编者按】母亲们常教育孩子要“勤洗手”，保持个人卫生。这种方法听来简单，但最近的几项医学研究表明，在流感病毒大举袭来之际，勤用肥皂或消毒剂洗手可以有效地杀灭病毒，预防感染。不论在学校还是家中，无论对成人还是对儿童，勤洗手都可以减少人们与病毒的接触，从而降低感染几率。其中，加州大学洛杉矶分校的研究人员还得出结论：手与面部器官的直接接触是感染流感的一大因素。It soundsSO simple as to be innocuous@，a throwaway@line in public—health warnings about swine flu．But one of the most powerful weapons against the newH1N1 virus iS summed up in a three-word phrase you first heard from your mother：wash your hands．Skip to next paragraphA host of recent studies have highlighted the importance and the scientific underpinning⑨of this most basic hygiene@measure．One of the most graphic⑦was done at theUniversity ofCalifornia，Berkeley，where researchers focused video cameras on10 college students as they read and typed on their laptops．The scientists counted the times the students touched their faces， documenting every lip scratch，eye rub and nose pick．On average， the students touched their eyes，noses and lips47 times during a three-hour period，once every four minutes．Hand-to—face contact has a surprising impact on health．Germs⑧can enter the body through breaks in the skin or through the membranes@of the eyes，mouth and nose．The eyes appear to be a particularly vulnerable port of entry for viral infections@，saidMarkNicas．a professor of environmental health sciences atBerkeley．Using mathematical models，Dr．Nicas and colleagues estimated that in homes，schools and dorms，hand-to—face contact appears tO①sanitizer：消毒剂．②stave off：预防，阻止．③innocuous：无害的，无毒的．④throwaway：脱口而出的．⑤underpinning：依据，基础．⑥hygiene：卫生．⑦graphic：生动的．⑧germ：病菌．⑨membranes：膜．⑩viral infection：病毒感染2009年第11期总第347期『34 account for about one—third of the risk of flu infection，according to a report this month in the j ournalRiskAnalysis．In one study of four residence halls at theUniversity ofColorado， tWO of the dorms had11and sanitizer dispensers installed in every dorm room，bathroom and dining area，and students were given educational materials about the importance of hand hygiene．The remaining two dorms were used as controls，and researchers simply monitored illness rates．During the eight-week study period，students in the dorms with ready access to hand sanitizers had a third fewer complaints@ of coughs，chest congestion@and fever．Over all，the risk of getting sick was20 percent lower in the dorms where hand hygiene was empha— sized，and those students missed43 percent fewer days of sch001．Young children benefit，too．In a study of6，000 elementary school students inCalifornia，Delaware，Ohi0 andTennessee，students in classrooms with hand sanitizers had20 percent fewer absences due to illness．Teacher absenteeis—in those schools dropped10 percent．Better hand hygiene also appears to make a difference in the home．10wering the risk to other family members when one child iS sick．Harvard researchers studied nearly300 families who had children5 or younger in day care．Hall the families were given a supply of hand sanitizer and educational materials；the other half were left to practice their normal hand washing habits．In homes with hand sanitizers，the risk of catching a gastroin— testinal illness@from a sick child dropped60 percent compared with the control families．The two groups did not differ in rates of respir— atory illness⑩，but families with the highest rates of sanitizer use had a20 percent lower risk of catching such an illness from a sick child．Regular soap and water and alcohol—based hand sanitizers are both effective in eliminating theH1N1 virus from the hands．InFebruary。researchers inAustralia coated@the hands of20 volunteers with copious amounts of a seasonalH1N1 flu virus．The concentra— tion of virus was equivalent to the amount that would occur when an infected person used a hand to wipe a runny nose．When the subj ects did not wash their hands，1arge amounts of⑩complaint：疾病，身体不适．@congestion：充血．@absenteeism：旷工，缺勤．@gastrointestinal illness：胃肠道疾病．@respiratory illness：呼吸系统疾病．⑩coat：涂上，覆盖．E；潞