Children in day-care centers are less likely to get sick and need antibiotics when their center routinely cleans and disinfects, according to a new study released today at the Child Welfare League of America's national conference in Washington, D.C. The study supports what public health researchers -- and generations of mothers -- have believed for decades: disinfecting helps protect against the spread of germs among children.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona, monitored the health of more than 1,000 children over a 10-week period. Half of the participating centers were asked to follow a recommended cleaning-and-disinfecting routine. The other half continued to follow their normal cleaning procedure.

The differences were dramatic, researchers said. In the centers that followed the study's disinfecting protocol, children were 37 percent less likely to experience diarrheal illness; 36 percent less likely to receive prescriptions for antibiotics; 17 percent less likely to report ear aches; and 10 percent less likely to come down with an upper respiratory illness, such as the cold or flu.

"This study shows how simple steps -- from routinely washing hands to disinfecting commonly touched surfaces -- can help to interrupt the cycle of germ transmission," said Charles Gerba, Ph. D., professor of Environmental Microbiology at University of Arizona and one of the authors of Impact of a Hygiene Intervention on Illness in Childcare Centers. "This cycle is common in day-care and other group settings where contagious diseases are spread from surfaces to hands and mouth."

"This is one situation when sharing isn't such a good thing," said Bruce Hershfield, director of child care and development at the Child Welfare League of America. "This study provides important data for both public-health agencies and parents -- as they cope with sick days for kids, doctors' visits and antibiotic prescriptions."

Study Highlights

The study examined the health of children, ranging in age from one month to six years old, in 12 day-care centers. Study participants were given cleaning products supplied by The Clorox Company -- including Ultra Clorox Regular Bleach, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Clorox Disinfecting Spray, Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Clorox Clean-Up Cleaner with Bleach -- and a simple guide that recommended how many times specific areas in the day-care center should be cleaned and disinfected daily or weekly.

Workers in the control centers continued to clean as usual, which typically meant less regular daily cleaning or spot cleaning of germ transfer points like door handles or light switches, Gerba said.

Compared to children in the control group, researchers also found children in the intervention group were:

20 percent less likely to report hay fever/allergy symptoms;

19 percent less likely to experience fever; and

19 percent less likely to have a medical visit.

Societal Impact

Numerous public health campaigns in recent years aimed at doctors and parents have focused on the need to reduce the rising use of antibiotics. Widespread unnecessary use of antibiotics, particularly among children, has led to an increase in hard-to-treat, drug-resistant bacteria worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health experts have called for greater "environmental control" over the cycle of disease to reduce contagion and limit the prescription of antibiotics.

"When the World Health Organization sees an improvement of five percent, it considers an intervention successful," said Gerba. "But with just a simple cleaning and disinfecting program -- and no other change in behavior -- we saw improvements that ranged from 10 percent to 37 percent -- clearly important for public health in this country."

The Archives of Internal Medicine reports that parents miss 126 million workdays each year to care for sick children. When added to the workdays missed by employees suffering from a cold, the total economic impact of cold-related work loss exceeds $20 billion annually.

"When you become a parent, you find yourself becoming an expert on contagious disease," Gerba said. "You can't stop children from getting sick, but there are simple things you can do -- at home, at work or at a day-care center -- to keep disease from spreading."

For media inquiries, or to request a copy of the study, please contact Kenneth Hooper at 415-984-6157 or Mary Seltzer at 415-984-2235.

For more information about healthier child care cleaning, visit http://www.clorox.com/childcare.

Source: University of Arizona