Handphones carry 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat

With over 17.1 million smartphone users in the UAE, it is safe to assume that most individuals carry their mobile devices virtually everywhere. However, despite this constant companionship, many do not think about cleaning phones regularly. A recent study at the University of Arizona revealed that mobile phones carry 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat.

Supporting this revelation, doctors in the UAE highlighted cell phones as high-touch surfaces vulnerable to contami contamination in multiple hotspots, such as in bathrooms and food-contact surfaces.

Despite the high usage percentages of mobile phones in the country, which is by far the highest in the region, most people do not know that phones are potential vectors for the transmission of infections.

Residents in Abu Dhabi, randomly sampled between May and June 2021, were found to be hygienic about mobile phones. According to the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), a publisher of open-access scientific journals, swab samples from participants’ mobile phones were collected and sent to the microbi microbiology laboratory for bacteria bacterial culture and antimicrobial susceptibility tests.

Addit Additionally, a crosssection sectional investigation was carrie carried out, during which participants par completed a questionnaire qu to gather sociodemographic soc information, mat details on phone usage frequency, and information on cleaning methods. The study st incorporated results fro from one hundred swabs and corresponding cor data sets.

Data also revealed that the majority of participants, which is 91.1 per cent, reported cleaning their mobile phones with wipes and alcohol.

Healthcare professionals have explained that human skin, wallets, bags, and even shisha, particularly prevalent in Arab countries, serve as significant sources of contamination.

However, implementing better hand hygiene practices and regularly cleaning phones could prevent approximately 80,000 to 180,000 infections.

Dr Nashwa Elsammak, consultant internal Medicine Prime Medical centre Albarari Branch, said: “Cell phones harbour infectious bacteria, including Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant pathogen. Infection from these bacteria can be fatal for people with weakened immune systems."

People must remove any cases or covers from the gadget and then clean the screen, buttons, corners, and other places where lint and dust often settle.