The Globe and Mail reports this morning that health care staff at Canada's largest research hospital, University Hospital Network, are being further encouraged to wash their hands. Doctors, nurses and other staff are being provided with a spot incentive from a "roaming posse of infection control staff " : a $2 Tim Horton's gift certificate

It's a message that goes unheeded -- at home and abroad.Research published in the New Zealand Medical Journal found almost 20 percent of men, and 8 percent of women didn't wash their hands after going to the toilet.But what's worse says New Zealand Public Health Association (PHA) Director Dr Gay Keating is that some schools have appalling washroom facilities, and it is often not possible for students to wash and dry their hands properly – even if they want to

No. Prewashed bagged salads should not be washed again at foodservice or at home.At least that's what a panel of scientists with expertise in microbial safety of fresh produce concluded after reviewing recent research.A paper published in the current issue of Food Protection Trends, published by the International Association for Food Protection presents guidelines developed by the panel, together with materials reviewed by the panel to develop the guidelines concluded that,"leafy green salad in sealed bags labeled “washed” or “ready-to-eat” that are produced in a facility inspected by a regulatory authority and operated under cGMPs, does not need additional washing at the time of use unless specifically directed on the label

This week in the podcast we highlight:Salmonella - Minnesota Recent lawsuits relating to recent recalls and outbreaksHandwashingiFSN podcast 10.19.07

Yes, says one of Britain's leading microbiologists, Professor John Threlfall, of the government's Health Protection Agency (HPA). The Scotsman reports today that Threlfall said prepared salads and other "ready-to-eat" foods pose a salmonella threat and he urged consumers to disregard assurances on packaging and wash the contents again before eating

Tracy Hughes has a bone to pick with television shows.People rarely wash their handsHughes writes in British Columbia's Salmon Arm Observer that, on medical dramas, you almost never see hand-washing unless it is a top-notch surgeon scrubbing up before he goes into the operating room and a nurse whispers some tragic secret to him just before he has to complete the first-ever super-duper, resection of the quadruple nerve -ending bypass

"We have been wanting to put hand sanitizers in schools," said Lorri Pilkington, coordinator for health and nursing services for Leon County schools, "but we want to do it safely and with the blessings of all the agencies that are involved with the school system."The "agencies of concern" are the Florida Department of Health, the Department of Education and the state Fire Marshal's Office, who are afraid that the high alcohol content of the sanitizers may be a hazard for starting fires or poisoning the children

Reports of Bill Murray’s recent arrest for erratically driving a golf cart motivated me to dust off a copy of Caddyshack. It’s a classic film...you know the scene…families leisurely at poolside, going for a swim, enjoying a summer’s day—an errant candy bar splashes in the midst of the bathers and when it is finally observed floating in the water someone screams…Doodie!  Doodie!!  The languid setting suddenly switches to one of shock, repulsion and pandemonium as everyone subsequently rushes to distance themselves from the buoyant turd

Ninety-one percent of American adults say they always wash their hands after using public restrooms. But just 83 percent actually did so, according to a separate observational study.These results were among those released by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), during a press conference highlighting National Clean Hands Week