Hand Sanitizer May Not Be As Beneficial As We Thought

Flu season is in full swing and we are always told to wash our hands and there are jars of hand sanitizer everywhere!  That may not be helping much.  The Food and Drug Administration sent an official warning letter to the makers of Purell hand sanitizer, ordering them to stop making unsupported claims that the gel can fend off disease.  In the official notice (here), the FDA said, "you suggest that your product is intended for reducing or preventing disease from the Ebola virus, norovirus, and influenza.  However, FDA is currently not aware of any adequate and well-controlled studies demonstrating that killing or decreasing the number of bacteria or viruses on the skin by a certain magnitude produces a corresponding clinical reduction in infection or disease caused by such bacteria or virus."

In other words, they said knock it off!  While it couldn't hurt to use it, the bottom line is don't rely on hand sanitizer to keep you healthy.  Wash your hands and may the odds be ever in your favor!