Tag Archives: Sanitizer

Failing grade for UQ petting zoo

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Sunday morning in Brisbane and we went for a stroll to the University of Queensland for a campus-wide open house, largely designed to provide information for high-school students and their parents.

The animal science folks had a small petting zoo set up, featuring an echindna (right, exactly as shown). I asked the woman what kind of animal it was and she told me I wasn’t much of an Australian.

I said, no, I’m not, I’ve been here four days.

They also had a bunch of baby chicks (left, nice flip-flops), and one of the students thrust one at Sorenne to pet. I was at the stroller, or would have used my usual line: get that salmonella factory away from my kid.

And there were a couple of goats and a couple of cows in a fenced-in area. I didn’t see anyone pet them, probably because it was early and people were just streaming in.

I did however observe this kid (below, exactly as shown), chowing down on what they called Fairy Floss (cotton candy) while petting the chicks.

This was a small outfit, and the risk of disease transmission was probably low, but there were no signs encouraging handwashing, no handwashing facilities, no sanitizer or wipes. Nothing.

A table of petting zoo outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/petting-zoos-outbreaks.

Wipes and sanitizers no substitute for washing with water and soap at petting zoos

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The Brits are hammering home the message: sanitizers and wipes are not enough at petting zoos; people must wash hands with soap and water.

Antibacterial gels and wipes are not a substitute for washing hands with soap and water. These gels or wipes may be unable to remove contamination in the way that running water can. However, using such gels after hand washing with soap and water may further reduce the risk of picking up these infections.

Dr John Clarke, a consultant microbiologist at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said, “Touching animals, fences and other surfaces can lead to infection, as you may pick up these bacteria and accidentally pass them to your mouth. It only takes a small number of the bacteria to cause infection.”

Proper handwashing requires access to proper facilities; the Riley County Fair starts later this week (that’s in Manhattan, Kansas) and I doubt they gotten the message.
 

You can hold my koala but not wash your hands

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Sunday in Brisbane (that’s in Australia) was a perfect chance to discover the local wildlife: kangaroos and koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Emma and Sorenne were overly excited by the opportunity. When it was their turn to get their photo taken with the koala, however, I noticed the sign on the hand sanitizer station saying, “Out of Order. Sorry for any inconvenience.” As we exited the area into the food court, Emma grabbed some sanitizing wipes that were available (but unmarked and almost not noticeable) on a table and cleaned up Sorenne’s hands the best she could.

After our afternoon “tea” (that’s Australian for “snack”), we headed into the Kangaroo Rescue area. For $2 I bought a rather large bag of kangaroo feed, and we proceeded to shove our hands into the faces of every kangaroo who passed by. Emma was brave and lay down on the ground to pose with one of the big boys. For me the highlight was either seeing a pregnant mommy ‘roo whose joey was wiggling about in her pouch or watching Sorenne’s face light up when the baby kangaroos ate from her hands (right exactly as shown).

Upon exiting the area (which was filled with scrub turkeys, ducks, wombats, emus and feces in addition to the kangaroos), there was a handwashing station with ample running cold water and soap but no paper towel to dry hands. The park prides itself on reusing water, and there was clear signage indicating that all water in use was recycled except for handwashing, food preparation, and drinking water. I didn’t feel confident that they were able to separate distribution so well after realizing that handwashing wasn’t possible in the koala cuddling zone.

Handwashing really isn’t simple, especially when the proper tools are not available.
 

You can hold my koala but not wash your hands

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Sunday in Brisbane (that’s in Australia) was a perfect chance to discover the local wildlife: kangaroos and koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Emma and Sorenne were overly excited by the opportunity. When it was their turn to get their photo taken with the koala, however, I noticed the sign on the hand sanitizer station saying, “Out of Order. Sorry for any inconvenience.” As we exited the area into the food court, Emma grabbed some sanitizing wipes that were available (but unmarked and almost not noticeable) on a table and cleaned up Sorenne’s hands the best she could.

After our afternoon “tea” (that’s Australian for “snack”), we headed into the Kangaroo Rescue area. For $2 I bought a rather large bag of kangaroo feed, and we proceeded to shove our hands into the faces of every kangaroo who passed by. Emma was brave and lay down on the ground to pose with one of the big boys. For me the highlight was either seeing a pregnant mommy ‘roo whose joey was wiggling about in her pouch or watching Sorenne’s face light up when the baby kangaroos ate from her hands (right exactly as shown).

Upon exiting the area (which was filled with scrub turkeys, ducks, wombats, emus and feces in addition to the kangaroos), there was a handwashing station with ample running cold water and soap but no paper towel to dry hands. The park prides itself on reusing water, and there was clear signage indicating that all water in use was recycled except for handwashing, food preparation, and drinking water. I didn’t feel confident that they were able to separate distribution so well after realizing that handwashing wasn’t possible in the koala cuddling zone.

Handwashing really isn’t simple, especially when the proper tools are not available.
 

Cleaner than s*it hand sanitizer

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Gonzo found some of this stuff in Lawrence (that’s in Kansas) today but his picture was too fuzzy so I grabbed this from a web site:

To quote:

The hand sanitizer has an extra-fancy, lightly scented formula enhanced with extracts of Aloe Vera for women with sensitive skin. The germs are out there but we have 2 ounces of killing power that annihilates 99.99% of germs on contact!

Note: Please use extra if you actually see s*it on your hands.

Bottle measures 4.25 inches tall x 1.75 inches wide. 2oz.
 

onzalo Erdozain: Real Housewives of Miami practice food safety and zoonotic diseases prevention, style

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I couldn’t care less about Real Housewives of Miami, however I will admit one of the wives got something right – her use of hand sanitizer after visiting a pig farm.

Petting zoos and farms have all been linked to different kinds of outbreaks, from E. coli to salmonella, so when petting an animal, either wash your hands or sanitize them. However, if you are going to season a whole pig in your kitchen, don’t use your oven mitts and dish towels to hold it and then place those same items on your countertop. Always use separate utensils for raw and cooked foods, including cutting boards if possible.

Really, I just happened to walk into my living room as the events unfolded. Word.

How clean was the cloth used to clean tables in your restaurant

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A reader asked Katie Fairbank of the Dallas Morning News, "Why do restaurants use those filthy rags to clean off your table

Fairbank says there have been plenty of times that I’ve watched a disgusted lunch companion wipe down a table right after it was swiped clean with a sopping wet dish towel.

"I am one of those people," said restaurant legend Gene Street. "I carry my little thing with Clorox wipes around in my car. When I go into a restaurant, I wipe it all down – especially the salt and pepper, since everyone touches their nose or their mouth and then touches them. Can you imagine what could be on those?"

The state and cities have regulations on exactly what restaurants need to do to clean tables. If that rag really is "filthy," the restaurant is not up to code, and the inspectors would like to know about it.

"There are a lot of viruses out there that can be transmitted from a surface," said Chauncy Williams, sanitarian supervisor for the city of Dallas. "Bacteria tend not to live long, but there are instances where a wet surface can help sustain it."

Dallas regulations require restaurants to have wiping cloths available to clean work areas, equipment, counters and customer tables. The cloths are always soaking wet, because they must be stored in a sanitizing solution. The solution itself must be tested periodically throughout the day to make sure it’s the right concentration. If it’s too strong, it could be too toxic. Too weak, and it doesn’t do the job.

Cafes, bars, restaurants and fast-food joints are also supposed to change the solution several times each day to make sure it hasn’t gotten dirty.

Disney Cruise built-in hand sanitizer stations

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The enterprising sanitarians at Disney have come up with built-in hand sanitizer stations incorporated into the Art Deco design of Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, the Disney Dream.

The photo (right) shows three of the built-in stations awaiting installation at the entrance to Animator’s Palate, one of the Dream’s three main restaurants.

Disney designers tell USA Today the built-in hand sanitizer stations will be incorporated into all the major eatery areas around the vessel as an alternative to the clunky plastic dispensers.

Hand sanitizer stands have become common on cruise ships over the past decade as the industry has increased efforts to reduce the number of shipboard outbreaks of communicable gastro-intestinal illnesses such as norovirus.

Pet the tortoise eat the candy

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It was Spooktacular this weekend at Manhattan’s Sunset Zoo, which is about a 2-minute drive from our house (because it’s in Kansas).

We splurged on the Wicked Witch of the West costume for Sorenne (right, exactly as shown) and used our year-long family pass for a discounted candy grab.

The purple pail quickly filled with treats and many of the kids were digging in as they entered a small pavilion where a volunteer was encouraging children – many of whom were eating candy – to pet a couple of tortoises.
There were no handwashing facilities or sanitizer dispensers at this particular pavilion.

I said petting a tortoise while actively or about to eat candy was a bad idea.