End Of The World

From the Appleton Post Crescent.

My God, are you prepared for the end of the world?

"Doorknobs and TV remotes are germ hotbeds
Scientists test surfaces, looking for source of colds" Doorknobs and TV remotes are germ hotbeds | Postcrescent.com | Appleton Post-Crescent

By Marilynn Marchione • Associated Press medical writer • October 29, 2008

WASHINGTON — Someone in your house have the sniffles? Watch out for the refrigerator door handle. The TV remote, too.

A new study finds that cold sufferers often leave their germs there, where they can live for two days or longer.

Scientists at the University of Virginia, long known for its virology research, tested surfaces in the homes of people with colds and reported the results Tuesday at the nation's premier conference on infectious diseases.

Doctors don't know how often people catch colds from touching germy surfaces as opposed to, say, shaking a sick person's hand, said Dr. Birgit Winther, an ear, nose and throat specialist who helped conduct the study.

Two years ago, she and other doctors showed that germs survived in hotel rooms a day after guests left, waiting to be picked up by the next person checking in.

For the new study, researchers started with 30 adults showing early symptoms of colds. Sixteen tested positive for rhinovirus, which causes about half of all colds. They were asked to name 10 places in their homes they had touched in the preceding 18 hours, and researchers used DNA tests to hunt for rhinovirus.

"We found that commonly touched areas like refrigerator doors and handles were positive about 40 percent of the time" for cold germs, Winther said.

All three of the salt and pepper shakers they tested were contaminated. Other spots found to harbor the germ: 6 out of 18 doorknobs; 8 of 14 refrigerator handles; 3 of 13 light switches; 6 of 10 remote controls; 8 of 10 bathroom faucets; 4 of 7 phones, and 3 of 4 dishwasher handles.

In a separate study, the university's Drs. Diane Pappas and Owen Hendley went germ-hunting on toys in the offices of five pediatricians in Fairfax, Va.

Tests showed fragments of cold viruses on 20 percent of all toys tested.

"Mamas know this," Hendley said. "They say, 'We go to a doctor for a well-child checkup, the kids play with the toys and two days later they have a cold.'"

"There is no proof that the remnants themselves can infect, but their presence suggests a risk, said Dr. Paul Auwaerter, an infectious-diseases specialist at Johns Hopkins University.

Stay in your house or apartment. o not open any door! Do not try to leave with out permission of the Obama government. Do not open any windows, do not speak on any phone, do not open your refrigerator door! All have contaminants and can kill you some day!

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