Cold Germs Linger for Days

Hotbeds Include Bathroom Faucets, Refrigerator Handles, Shared Toys

Here's yet another reason to say "ewwww" to using items shared openly in the public and to advocate frequent hand washing. Scientists testing the surfaces in homes and in the public have found that the cold germ rhinovirus can linger on surfaces touched by the affected for days.

Common contaminated areas include refrigerator door handles, remote controls, bathroom faucets, telephones, dishwasher door handles, and salt-and-pepper shakers. A separate test also showed fragments of the cold virus on about 20 percent of toys tested in "sick room" waiting rooms, on 17 percent in the "well child" waiting areas and 30 percent in a sack of toys that kids are allowed to choose from after getting a shot.

Advice for avoiding a bad case of the germies, especially in care settings and schools with children, remain frequent and careful hand-washing. Hand sanitizers also help. Wearing surgical masks also helps, but don't look for kids in classrooms to add that to their apparel requirement anytime soon!