Wash Your Hands and Mobile

An article on the BBC News Website has reported on an investigation undertaken by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London. It suggests that 1:6 mobile phones are contaminated by bacteria that could have originated from faecal matter. 400 samples were taken from mobile phones and hands in UK cities. They found that 16% of phones and hands tested positive for E.coli which is used as an indicator of faecal matter. The largest proportion of contaminated phones came from Birmingham (41%) whilst Londoners had the highest proportion of E.coli present on their hands (28%). Most of the strains of E.coli found were unlikely to cause major human health issues. This does emphasise the need for hand washing after toilet visits both and home, in public places and at work.