Wash your hands … that's an order!

Think the cold war is over? The Navy doesn't. It recently launched an all-out battle against colds, flu and other respiratory infections, armed with nothing more than soap and water. The goal: to significantly reduce the amount of time sailors spend in sick bay.

Although most cases are mild, hospitalizations for pneumonia and other complications are not uncommon among new recruits (crowding, stress and the intensity of military life up the infection rate). So recruits recently were ordered to thoroughly wash their hands at least five times a day. The result: a 45 percent reduction in respiratory illness compared to naval recruits the year before.

The study, dubbed Operation Stop Cough and published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine (August, 2001), cited respiratory infection as the most common cause of lost time in the military. Not surprisingly, it's also the leading cause of absenteeism in schools and the workplace. But heed the Navy's five-scrubs-a-day plan and you may be healthier this winter. It offers even more proof that frequent handwashing is a cheap, effective way to fend off colds, flu and other miseries.

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