Kids at risk of infection from play equipment
SCHOOL play equipment poses a potential infection hazard for kids, experts have warned.
Testing for germ hotspots at two typical UK schools revealed high levels of bacteria in unexpected places.
Play equipment had more bugs on surfaces than door handles, radiators, stationery items and chairs.
At one school, a play dinosaur registered a contamination reading 41 times higher than that obtained from a toilet door.
Luke Rutterford, technical manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, who carried out the study, said: “These findings may surprise many. Items used by multiple children appear to be harbouring the most germs.” ● HAVING a serious mental illness significantly increases the risk of premature death from heart disease, a study shows.
Researchers who analysed data on three million patients found significant links between cardiovascular disease and conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression.
People with severe mental illness (SMI) were up to 78 per cent more likely to suffer from damaged hearts and arteries than healthy individuals.
Dr Brendon Stubbs, of King’s College London, said: “The majority of these premature deaths may be preventable with care that prioritises lifestyle changes.”
The findings appeared in the journal World Psychiatry. ● SCIENTISTS have identified a key gene that helps to explain an underlying cause of incurable bowel disorders – and it could lead to new treatments.
Lead author Dr Gwo-Tzer Ho, of Edinburgh University, said it “will open new approaches to drug targets” so that doctors can “better design treatments for patients”.
The study – carried out in Bristol, the US and Japan – was funded by the Medical Research Council and Crohn’s and Colitis UK.