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medpundit |
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Monday, October 24, 2005According to the panel, both antibacterial and regular soap are good for household use in terms of infection reduction. However, neither one works better than the other. The antibacterial soap kills most germs, while regular soap washes bacteria from the skin or transfers it to a towel. Either way the infections can be reduced. The anti-bacterial soaps kill the bacteria, but you don't have to kill the bacteria to prevent infection. You just have to wash them off. The issue is important because some fear that antibacterial soaps have played a role in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria: While the FDA advisory panel said there is no evidence suggesting that use of antibacterial soaps in households helps reduce infections, it could not find any evidence either that suggests use of antibacterial soaps attribute to the increasing number of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics although theoretically anti-bacterials have the potential. .....The FDA advisory panel did not recommend that the FDA take any regulatory action against anti-bacterials. It urged the agency to study the benefits and risks of the antibacterial products. And what about those anti-viral Kleenex? According to the The Medical Letter, they're not much better than regular Kleenex in preventing the spread of infection among intimate contacts (content only available at a price.) But I have found them to be very good for alleviating the fears of elementary school teachers faced with my runny-nosed progeny. posted by Sydney on 10/24/2005 09:15:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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