Hand sanitizer: Friend or foe?

 What about all the hand washing and sanitizing? Will these behaviors affect the immune responses of young people?

Prof. Bloomfield and colleagues suggest that they will not.

“The idea that we could create ‘sterile’ homes through excessive cleanliness is implausible; as fast as microbes are removed, they are replaced, via dust and air from the outdoor environment, […] commensal microbes shed from the human body and our pets, and contaminated foods brought into the homes.”

They note that changes in lifestyle and environment, including dietary changes and increased antibiotic use, as well as accelerated urbanization have all led to changes in our microbe exposure. This has likely contributed to the increase in allergic conditions such as eczema, hay fever, and food allergies.

However, the authors also note that “the public idea that obsessive hygiene and cleanliness is the root cause of the rise in allergies is no longer supported.”

Prof. Bloomfield and colleagues conclude their study by noting — and this is the positive news for parents of young children in the times of COVID-19 — “data are now strong enough to encourage […] natural childbirth, physical interaction between siblings and non-siblings, more sport, and other outdoor activities (including babies in prams).”

The takeaway here is that the lockdown walks that have become so popular for families stuck at home are beneficial for introducing infants to those crucial microbes.