A newly published study by the Institute for Microbiology and Virology, Witten, Germany, has shown how viruses are transmitted within a household via direct contact and via inanimate contact surfaces. The study involved using the stable, non-pathogenic bacteriophage, fX174, to contaminate the hands of both volunteers and inanimate contact points, such as door handles, and studying the pattern of transfer of the phage. Results of these transmission studies showed the significance of indirect transmission via contaminated contact points, as the virus could be reisolated from all volunteers and from nearly all inanimate surfaces tested. All volunteers also became contaminated as a result of horizontal transmission (direct hand-to-hand contact). These results were confirmed under everyday conditions in a flat shared by four students. Interestingly, hand hygiene carried out to the usual (i.e., not clinical) standard, such as hand washing with soap and water, did not prevent transmission. Reference: Rheinbaben Fv et al. Journal of Hospital Infection 2000; 46: 61-66

The newly established Food Standards Agency in the UK is to tackle the increasing cost of food poisoning with recently announced funding by the Government. Within a detailed plan the Food Standards Agency highlighted ‘raising the standard of food hygiene in the home’ in their press release, recognising the importance of this as central to the high incidence of food-related disease.

Other key plans include:

• reducing food-borne disease by 20% by 2006
• improving risk control in small businesses, particularly those involved in processing high risk foods
• making sure that food handlers receive proper training and that the training results in safer practice
• working in partnership with local authorities to improve surveillance and enforcement
• working in partnership with the food industry to raise standards of hygiene

In the UK up to 4.5 million people a year are estimated to suffer from food-borne disease. Of these, there are about half a million cases of the most common forms of food poisoning (Campylobacter, Salmonella) and up to 750,000 people a year consult their GPs suffering from these illnesses. Around 50-60 people a year die from food poisoning. The cost to the UK NHS and national business is estimated to be £79 a case, putting the annual cost at up to £350 million a year. The annual costs of the most common forms of food poisoning (Campylobacter, Salmonella) are estimated at £110 million. The UK Food Standards Agency was formed in April 2000 and assumed responsibility for food safety throughout the UK. As a confirmation of their commitment to home hygiene, a representative of the FSA has agreed to chair the second day of the IFH /PHLS Conference in December.

As part of the drive to improve education on food hygiene, the UK Health Education Authority has recently launched an interactive learning programme on the Web for teachers in schools, with additional funding from the European Commission. This web-based initiative makes learning how to avoid food poisoning fun for children up to the age of 14 and also provides background notes for their teachers. The programme can be found on the Food Standards Agency web site at: http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/hea/index2.html

This web site gives children important facts on food hygiene and the principles that underpin them, as well as games and quizzes. One section is for secondary schools 'Aliens in our Food' for 11-14 year olds and the other for primary schools 'the adventures of Safe-T and the H-squad' for 7-10 year olds. At launch the resource was sent to schools on CD-ROM, but it is now available on this interactive web site.

The call for improved hygiene education in the home, highlighted by the UK Food Standards Agency School, is also a hot topic in the United States. A recent publication in the MMWR of the Centre for Disease Control highlights school health education (SHE) as an important part of school learning.

The report states that SHE helps students develop knowledge and skills they need to avoid or modify behaviours related to the leading causes of death, illness, and injury, both during youth and adulthood. Research conducted in secondary schools across 36 states found that the quality of SHE is determined, in part, by the curriculum planning and development process and teacher preparation in individual schools. Lack of teacher training was found to be a serious obstacle to the implementation of effective SHE and the reports concludes that the number of academically prepared health education teachers, and the number of schools with school health advisory councils needs to increase in the United States.

On reading this report, Dr Beumer of the IFH notes that the publications of the International Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) and its on-line library could help to provide teachers with adequate information on hygiene. Reference: MMWR August 18, 2000, Vol 49, No SS-8