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Ban the handshake in winter?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2019

Leonard A. Mermel
Leonard A. Mermel*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Division of Infectious Diseases, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island Department of Epidemiology and Infection Control, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
*
Author for correspondence: Leonard Mermel, Email: lmermel@lifespan.org
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Abstract

Gastrointestinal and respiratory viruses are particularly common during winter months, and reducing risk of transmission is challenging. Transfer of bacteria from the hands of one person to another is dramatically reduced with a fist bump compared to a handshake. If the same is true for viruses, should we recommend this change in greeting in the winter?

Type
Commentary
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 40 , Issue 6 , June 2019 , pp. 699 - 700
Copyright
© 2019 by The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. All rights reserved. 

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