Washington DC
LATEX gloves cannot guarantee protection against viruses, American
researchers warned this week. Their tests have shown that one in three gloves
lets through viruses the size of HIV or hepatitis.
These findings suggest that healthcare workers who have cuts or other breaks
in their skin should consider wearing more than one pair of gloves, says Jordan
Fink, head of the allergy division of the Medical College of Wisconsin, who led
the study.
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Medical staff with unbroken skin probably need not worry, says Jordan. 鈥淭he
unbroken skin is a good barrier.鈥�
In the tests, the gloves were moistened with a water-and-salt solution, to
recreate the effects of sweat on the hands. Researchers placed a harmless virus
the same size as HIV and hepatitis inside the glove, and checked the outside to
see if any had escaped through the latex.
Jordan鈥檚 group began to study latex gloves because more and more doctors and
nurses have been complaining of allergic reactions since 1992, when the US
government insisted that any workers likely to come into contact with a
patient鈥檚 blood or other body fluids must wear gloves to minimise the risk of
contracting HIV or hepatitis.