Peck is healthier than a handshake, says new study

London: The next time you greet a person, make sure you avoid shaking hands. Instead give a peck on his or her cheek – it's healthier for you.

A team of international researchers has carried out a study and found that people who greet each other with handshakes are much more likely to pass on germs, such as flu and stomach bugs, than those who settle for a kiss.

According to lead researcher Prof Sally Bloomfield of the London School of Hygiene, "The hands are critical in the chain of infection as they transmit infections from surfaces to people and between people.”

"Shaking hands is the main form of physical contact with each other but you don't know what the other person has been touching before you greet them. People avoid kissing each other when they have a cold, but in fact they are more likely to pass on an infection by shaking someone's hand,” Bloomfield added.

In fact, the researchers, whose study has been funded by the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, came to the conclusion after analysing the effects of handshakes and kisses on a group of people, according to media reports.

According to co-researcher Carol O'Boyle of the School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, "Hand hygiene is just as important when we are outside the home – on public transport, in the office, in the supermarket, or in a restaurant.”

"Quite often it is not possible to wash our hands in these situations, but carrying an alcohol-based hand sanitiser means we can make our hands hygienic whenever and wherever the need arises,” O'Boyle added.

However, the study has pointed out that good hygiene is about more than just washing our hands.

Although the hands are the main superhighway for the spread of germs as they are the "last line of defence", surfaces from which the hands become contaminated, such as food contact surfaces, door handles, tap handles, toilet seats and cleaning cloths also need regular hygienic cleaning. Clothing and linens, baths, basin and toilet surfaces can also play a part in spreading germs between family members in the home.

"Because so much attention has been paid to getting people to wash their hands, there is a danger that people can come to believe this is all they need to do to avoid getting sick," another co-researcher Prof Elaine Larson of the Mailman School of Public Health in New York said.

Prof Bloomfield, also the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, has concurred.

"We hear a lot of discussion about whether being too clean is harming our immune systems, but we believe that this targeted approach to home hygiene, which focuses on the key routes for the spread of harmful organisms, is the best way to protect the family from becoming ill whilst leaving the other microbes which make up our environment unharmed,” Bloomfield said.