Dr Manal Mohammed, Lecturer in Medical Microbiology, was interviewed by Which? About the common mistakes that people make when using hand sanitiser.
Talking about the ‘envelope protein’ of Covid-19, Dr Manal Mohammed said: “It’s an outer layer of the virus which is vital for the virus’ survival and multiplication, so the alcohol can attack this layer and destroy the virus.”
Using hand sanitiser excessively can cause harm to the skin’s microbiomes or good bacteria. Talking about microbiomes, Dr Mohammed said: “These are not only bacteria, they are billions of germs including bacteria, virus, and fungi, and they actually contribute to our health. Using hand sanitiser can disturb the balance of the good bacteria or good germs on our skin and facilitate the entry of bad pathogens to our body.”
Watch the interview on the Which? YouTube channel.
