Heat and damp cloth

Question

Hello.
It is very hot and to lower the temperature, I used to wet a towel and dry it on a chair in the living room. Is it dangerous for my baby of 6 months? Does she risk infection with p. aeruginoa ?

Answer

Hello
There are no official recommendations of domestic hygiene to prevent infection, but it is possible to limit the risk of transmission with simple gestures.
Contamination is still possible and unpredictable even if the hygiene conditions are met. Hygiene must remain a reasonable concern using common sense and should not become an obsession.

In the absence of such a study demonstrating that specific measure would prevent bacterial contamination in CF, we recommend changing regularly wet rags as they can be a place for microbial growth including peudomonas aeruginosa.
If the towel is dry in a few hours in hot conditions, the risk of colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa seems really low. It is advised to wash ones hands with soap after handling a towel or cloth remained wet for a long time and change them every day.
On the other hand, we do not know if this method of humidification is really effective, and encourage you to follow the recommendations in case of high heat to avoid dehydration which is more common in people with CF especially infants: www.vaincrelamuco.org/e_upload/pdf/mesures_protection_forte_chaleur_familles_2008.pdf


Sincerely
Yann Kerneur

07.06.2011