Increased hand sanitizer use blamed for rise in gastro outbreaks

 

A number of countries are reporting increasing rates of viral gastroenteritis over recent months, and experts suggest greater use of hand sanitizers, known to have little effect on pathogens such as norovirus, may be partly responsible.

Exactly why norovirus clusters seem to be increasing is unclear, but some experts are suggesting the growth in use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers may be playing a role. As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in early 2020 more people than ever started frequently using hand sanitizers. Some estimates suggested demand for the product grew 16-fold in the first few months of the pandemic.

“I suspect many of us have become a bit complacent with handwashing and instead are slapping on alcohol-based hand sanitizer when we can, although this is anecdotal,” hypothesizes gastroenterologist Vincent Ho, in a recent article for The Conversation. “However, even though hand sanitizer is convenient, it doesn’t work as well against norovirus as thorough handwashing does.”

Researchers have long suspected alcohol-based hand sanitizers may not be as effective as soap and water handwashing in removing norovirus. A compelling 2011 survey of 161 long-term care facilities in the United States found those facilities using soap and water more often than hand sanitizers experienced less frequent norovirus outbreaks.

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