It’s one of those stories that makes you proud to be British…ok, I’m lying.

It’s one of those stories that makes you want to vomit, and could actually result in the need for a sick bucket amongst other things in a very real way.

You see, according to Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,
“More than one in four commuters has bacteria from faeces on their hands.”

Isn’t that lovely?

Apparently, having swabbed 409 people at bus and train stations in five major cities in England and Wales they discovered that sometimes up to 53% of men and 36% of women had dirty mitts, and the further north they went, the worse the problem got with men in Newcastle being the biggest offenders.

It kind of freaks me out that while I make sure my kids always wash their hands after using the bathroom, there are a huge number of adults who haven’t yet got the concept that

POO = GERMS = A WEEK ON THE TOILET

It also kind of freaks me out that the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine felt the need to do this study. I mean, who’s idea was it to go out there and see if we were a nation of pooey hands?
And do they feel pleased that their study proved to be surprisingly correct for a large percentage of those swabbed?

But the best bit, is that at the end of this informative piece, BBC News 24 felt the need to ask this question;

Are you meticulous in your hand hygiene habits? Have you been ill because of poor handwashing? Send us your comments by completing the form below.

I mean, who is going to answer yes to the second part? Can you imagine it?

“I never wash my hands after using the dunny and germs have never done me any harm. Even when I had salmonella for a whole year and a gangrenous pinky finger I never washed my hands. Soap is for pansies.” (Mr Stinkwold, Newcastle.)

“We always wondered what that smell was.”
(Gerry and Fenella Pongsmith, Liverpool)

Makes you think twice about holding onto that pole on the bus or train though doesn’t it?

Oh, and the study was done as part of the world’s first Global Hand-washing Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance hand hygiene plays in public health. So that makes it a good thing I suppose, but very scary.