Separation of positive-negative patients and ice cream shop

Question

Dear ladies and gentlemen, many thanks for the quick answer.

I myself suffer from CF and I am negative (Pseudomonas) [this was added from the translator] like my daughter. At the last appointment at the clinic, several patients were positive and I only got this information after one hour from the nurse and I have been very sad that I did not get this information before.
At our childrens' outpatient clinic positive and negative patients are also separated, but some nurses have to be told again and again, that they have to disinfect their hands after every patient as you do not know if a patient already carries different germs if a swab has not been taken for the last 6 weeks.

I have one question,
at the hospital there is an ice cream shop, and it is hard for me to say no to my daughter as the hygiene is not present there.
There is a container where all ice cream spoons are stored and no running water and in addition, after rinsing of the spoon it is dapped with a damped cloth and this I find very critical.

Is it sufficient if the salesgirl rinses the ice cream spoon with hot water?
Many thanks,

Answer

Hello,

You are right, if you are looking at the world through the eyes of a worrying mother, who does see the danger of germs everywhere, then it is hard to be content especially in an ice cream shop. A packed ice from the freezer is probably less problematic then. But it is always a weighing up of the different sides: too much precaution takes quality of life, as one does refuse an ice cream to ones child, too less precaution bears the risk of a colonization with germs and infection. I would say, that with rinsing the ice cream spoon with hot water a great part of the potentially present germs are eradicated, the risk of passing on therefore is then reduced. If one considers additionally, that the typical germs for causing an infection of the bowel respectively diarrhea represent the main danger at ice cream sellers, that on the other hand due to adherence to the hygienic rules problems are fortunately seldom, one can only bridge the rest with the hope, that there are not quite the problematic germs of CF, which can be found there.

As always one has to make a compromise: if you can manage it to have the favorite ice cream at home at the stock and can satff off your daughter until then (because it is much more delicious), then this is not a bad strategy - if not, then every step to more hygiene is helpful.

Yours sincerely,
Prof. Dr. TOF Wagner

26.05.2009