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Does hand washing really reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) and respiratory illnesses in the community, and, if so, by how much? Which is better: alcohol-based hand sanitizers, nonantibacterial (plain) soap, or antibacterial soap? To answer these questions, investigators from the University of Michigan and Columbia University identified more than 5000 relevant studies published from 1960 to 2007 and pooled results from 30 community-based intervention studies (conducted in developed and developing countries) that met criteria for review (19 of the 30 studies focused on children aged 5 years and younger).
Compared with no education, hand-hygiene education alone (7 studies) significantly reduced the risk for GI illness by 31% and for…