Flu cases surge. RSV activity was “very high.” Signs of the coronavirus are growing in sewers, and norovirus is causing outbreaks not seen in at least a decade. You might even say that America is in the midst of a “fourth pandemic,” although I really hope you don’t because “fourth pandemic” is not a term anyone should be uttering.
With that in mind, here are atlantic monthlyTips and tricks to avoid any illness during this year's horrific four pandemics. what is atlantic monthlyTips and Tricks? They are soaps.
Consider norovirus, a truly formidable pathogen only a few tens of nanometers long with its invasive acid hidden within a protein shell. Exposure to fewer than 100 norovirus particles can cause vomiting and diarrhea for several days. These particles are very, very difficult to kill.
Spray them in alcohol and chances are they'll be fine. A study examining a series of norovirus outbreaks in New England nursing homes during the winter of 2006-07 found locations where staff frequently used hand sanitizer bigger were at greater risk of experiencing an outbreak than others in the study. Why? Because other nursing homes are better equipped.
They have soap.
Studies have found that soap cleans things very well. At least 4,000 years of history show this. Soap works because its structure mixes well with water on one end and oil on the other. The latter's hydrophobic surface can hook onto and disrupt the membranes surrounding certain microorganisms (although norovirus is not one of them). Soap molecules also clump into small balls that can surround and capture some of the bacterial dirt before it is flushed away through the faucet. The soap lathers up and makes hand washing more fun.
Not everyone agrees with hand washing. The good judgment of Pete Hegseth, who has said he hasn't washed his hands in 10 years, will be judged during today's confirmation hearing for defense secretary. He later said it was a joke. He then began peddling soap in the shape of a grenade. Of course, the person who picked him was not only passionate about washing dishes; As we all know, Donald Trump made the most of his Irish Spring.
As much as Trump loves soap, he also seems to be fond of hand sanitizer: His first administration reportedly kept Purell hand sanitizer available outside the Oval Office. Politico. This will help keep him safe from some pathogens, but not all. When scientists compared different methods of removing norovirus from fingertips, they found that no one method was that good, and some were particularly bad. Commercial hand sanitizers rarely work. The same goes for quaternary ammonium cations (also known as QACs or “quats”), which are found in many standard household disinfection products. My local gym hands out disinfectant wipes to clean equipment; these are tissues soaked in benzalkonium chloride (QAC). Quaternary ammonium salts may help kill the bacteria that cause COVID-19 or the flu, but research suggests they may be useless against norovirus.
The science behind sterilizing items is subtle. Much of what we thought we knew about eradicating norovirus has been proven wrong. It's difficult to grow norovirus in the lab, so for a while scientists used another virus from the same family - feline calicivirus, which can give cats colds - as an experimental alternative. This is not a good idea. “Compared to human norovirus, feline calicivirus is a weakling,” LeeAnn Jakus, a food virology expert at North Carolina State University, told me. For example, her research has shown that bleach works very well at disinfecting feline viruses in the laboratory, as well as mouse norovirus, which is often used in these experiments. But when she and colleagues tested human norovirus samples taken from patients' stool samples, the particles appeared to be more resistant.
You know what’s better at eliminating human norovirus than hand sanitizer or QAC? I bet you will! This is soap.
Or maybe one should say, it was washed with soap. A letter published in this Journal of Hospital Infection In 2015, a group of German hygienists followed up on earlier work, comparing hand sanitizer to soap and water and arguing that the latter's benefits were mechanical in nature, by which the hygienists meant, simply Rubbing your hands under running water can produce a similar effect. (They also believe that certain hand sanitizers can inactivate norovirus, whereas soap and water do not.) Jaykus' team also found that the hand-rubbing portion of handwashing provided the greatest disinfecting effect. “It’s not an inactivation step; Gets slippery," says Jackus. "It makes it easier to wash your hands and it gets rid of all the debris. "
This is a faint compliment for the soap, but by no means a condemnation. It would be great if washing your hands in the sink sanitizes your hands and soap facilitates the process. Soap even works when the soap itself is dirty - a bathroom situation known (to me) as the "dirty bar dilemma." Some studies have found that washing with soap and contaminated water can also be beneficial. Soap: It really works!
But only to a certain point. I asked Jakeus what she would do if there was a case of norovirus in her home. Will she wash her hands and soap surfaces, or will she choose a stronger soap?
She said if her family was affected, she would definitely wash her hands and possibly try some cleaning with chlorine. But even so, she expected the worst to happen. Norovirus is highly contagious and the chances of it spreading in certain homes are very high, especially those with children. “I would literally call my boss and say I was going to be out for four days,” Jakeus told me. "I'm sorry to say I'm giving up."
Maybe we should add this to our list of tips and tricks for getting through January: Soap, of course, but so is cheerful acquiescence when your time comes.