A year back, probably every student had a sanitizer bottle in their pocket or in their school bags. Sanitizers became a fancy and students lost no opportunity of boasting their sanitized hands. All of a sudden, some of the schools imposed a ban on the use of sanitizers much to the disappointment of the children who had by then made it a habit to use hand sanitizers. But why ban sanitizers? Clean India Journal spoke to microbiologists of leading hospitals to get a clear view.
Schools contended that sanitizers kill good bacteria too; thus, harming the children. “Why do need to give children sanitizers?” questioned Dr Dhruv Mamtora, Dr Dhruv Mamtora, Consultant Microbiologist and Infection control officer, S.L. Raheja, A Fortis associate, Hospital, Mumbai.
“It is better to get children into the habit of washing their hands with soap before eating or when the hands get dirty instead of using a sanitizer, as it is ineffective on dirty hands. An attempt to provide too hygienic environment for children could lead to less immunity. Immunity grows when children are more exposed to environmental surroundings and they develop resistance to common pathogens,” he added.