August 1, 2006
Cellphones-home to deadly bacteria
Beware of that cellphone, warns Trinidad News. It could be harbouring the deadly MRSA bacteria which affected three patients at the San Fernando General Hospital earlier this month, one of whom suffering with throat cancer, died.
"Cellphone should be regarded and used as a personal piece of equipment, similar to one's toothbrush, and lipstick. It should not be shared with others. It is difficult to clean because of the configuration of the equipment," said Dr Hari Maharajh, from the University of the West Indies at St Augustine.
Maharajh said some women carry cellphones in their handbags where other items are kept and that made it a risky device. "Phone calls are answered in crowded places where people are coughing and sneezing and the risk is even greater there," Maharajh added. He also referred to the danger of children using cellphones in toilets and resting them in infected areas.
His warnings are backed up by a recent study in Arizona, USA, which found that nearly a quarter of cellphones tested came up positive for MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
"These things (cellphones) are very germy, especially the keypads and mouthpieces and everytime you dial a number or send a text message, you are transferring the germs on your hands to your phone and then straight to your mouth," one researcher involved in the study said.
Maharajh also did not dismiss the possibility of meningococcal meningitis being spread through indiscriminate use of cell phones. Maharaj said there was need to have public health education on the use and abuse of cellphone.
A microbiologist attached to the Ministry of Health, who requested anonymity, said: "When a cellphone user clears his nose through sneezing it is not easy for the bacteria to dry up easily on the equipment and this could easily be a means of spreading diseases."
Related stories:
-- Dirty keyboard cause infections in hospitals,
-- Mobile phones used by healthcare personnel in the hospital can spread dangerous infectious agents
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