Harvard Health Content API

To reduce the spread of germs, at least in hospitals, a new article argues for bumping fists instead of shaking hands. Researchers worked in pairs. Both put on a pair of new, germ-free (sterile) gloves for each experiment. One person dipped a glove into a solution containing E. coli bacteria. The researchers bumped fists. Then they removed the gloves so the germs on the formerly sterile glove could be measured. Using different gloves, they tried the same experiment with two other greetings: handshaking and “high fives” (slapping palms together). Handshaking transferred 10 times as many germs as a fist bump and twice as many as a “high five.” The Journal of the American Medical Association recently called for banning handshakes in hospitals. The new findings appear in the American Journal of Infection Control. HealthDay News wrote about them July 28.

A large group of children’s doctors says that only certain high-risk babies should receive a drug to prevent severe problems from a common virus. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that evidence now shows other children are unlikely to benefit. But the new advice has led to a strong protest by the drugmaker. The drug is palivizumab (Synagis). It is given as a monthly shot to help prevent severe problems from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Nearly all children become infected with RSV by age 2. For most, it’s a mild illness. But RSV is also the most common cause of pneumonia in babies. The new AAP statement narrows the definition of which “high-risk” babies should get the drug. It says that research shows benefit for only a few groups.