Infection spread from Mobile Phones in Hospitals

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that in a recent study conducted by Pal et al. in 2015, on 386 participants, it was found that 81.8% mobile phones and 80% hand swabs showed bacterial pathogen growth.

Directorate General of Health Services has informed that, there is risk of spread of infection by handling same mobile phone set by different people without taking proper precautions of hand hygiene.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued guidelines, on “Hospital Infection Control” to reduce infections in hospitals in general. The said guidelines are available on the website of ICMR.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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