18 Jun 2012
Experts are warning that the huge numbers of people in the UK during the Olympics could mean a rise in infectious diseases unless individuals’ hygiene practices are improved.
The influx of people to the UK for the Olympic Games in July is likely to lead to an influx of microbes and germs, and health professionals are urging people to make sure they wash their hands and are hygienic in other areas.
A new report from The Global Hygiene Council suggests that both British people and overseas visitors will be at risk of disease and infection as a result of poor hygiene habits, with over seven out of 10 Britons washing hands less often than they should.
One in five people also confessed that they would have no qualms about shaking hands with someone knowing that their hands were dirty, while further research has shown that a quarter of commuters in England have faecal bacteria on their hands.
And, perhaps even more worryingly, the Dettol HABIT Study revealed that as many as 6% of people only really think that you need to wash your hands when they look dirty or feel like they are unclean.
Copyright Press Association 2012