Researchers found that over five months, families given hand-sanitizing gels at home had 60 percent fewer cases of "stomach flu" passed on from their preschooler.
All of the families had young children in daycare, putting them at high risk of passing germs that preschoolers often bring home. There was no clear advantage to using the gels against colds.
Alcohol-based hand gels are widely used in hospitals and nursing homes after studies found that healthcare workers who use them harbor fewer disease-causing microbes on their hands. The new study is the first controlled trial of hand gel use in the home.
Dr. Thomas J. Sandora and his colleagues at Children's Hospital Boston report the findings in the journal Pediatrics.
