Handphones harbor bacteria

Here is a startling finding about handphones and bacteria.

According to The Star:

Berita Harian reported that handphones were found to carry bacteria linked to food poisoning and stomach aches.

The findings of a research team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last October, said one in every six handphone surfaces had bacterial stains as users do not wash their hands properly after using the toilets.

The research was done in 12 nations, with 16% of over 390 samples found to host dangerous bacteria, including E-coli, the cause of food poisoning.

Most bacteria can live for long periods of time on human hands at room temperature and are easily transmitted through contact with other surfaces.

“Analysis shows that E-coli bacteria was also found on the hands of users at all research locations, proving that this is a serious problem,” said Ron Cutler from the University of London, who was part of the research team.