American scientists from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda have made a statement that one can get influenza because of the habit to touch one’s face.
As stated by Dr. Vladimir Alonso, touching the nose or mouth, we promote instant transmission of bacteria and viruses. Hand washing does not help, because human beings are exposed to a million of opportunities to get bacteria every second.
This was proved in the course of observing 249 volunteers, who visited public places. The people would touch the objects on average 3.3 times per hour, and they would touch their face 3.6 times per hour. Thus, the microbes will be on the face faster than we manage to wash our hands. As a rule, we are protected from pathogens due to the powerful immune system, but during the flu epidemic one should watch the hands and try not to touch the face.
