Prescription Medications - O

Americans Have Dirty Paws

They got a "C" in hand hygiene in the 2004 Clean Hands Report Card produced by the Soap and Detergent Association.

The national health survey found that 43 percent of people seldom or never wash their hands after coughing or sneezing, and 32 percent don't always wash before eating lunch.

Even people who do wash their hands aren't doing it properly. The survey found that 54 percent of folks don't wash their hands for at least 20 seconds, the time it takes to effectively remove germs and dirt.