No Hotel Surcharges for Virus Exposure

When I was a young teen my father bought a motor home for our family vacations. Prior to that we had taken a few shorts trips involving hotel stays. I recall one instance when we had to change rooms because there was a hair in the bed. I believe that contributed to my dad's desire to travel and continue to sleep in his own bed.

Here's more unpleasant news for those with germ phobias.

We know that viruses can survive on surfaces for a long time — more than four days," said Dr. Birgit Winther, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the university who led the study.

Its aim was to test the survival of rhinoviruses, which cause about half of all colds, especially in children.

Researchers had 15 people with lab-confirmed rhinovirus colds spend a night in individual rooms at a nearby hotel and, after they checked out, tested 10 items they said they had touched. About one-third of the objects were contaminated with rhinovirus.

Virus was found on 7 out of 14 door handles and 6 of 14 pens. Six out of 15 light switches, TV remotes and faucets tested positive, as did 5 of 15 phones. Shower curtains, coffee makers and alarm clocks also harbored viruses.

Surprisingly, virus turned up on only one of the 10 toilet handles tested.

Apparently the test was only performed at one hotel. I'd be fascinated by some comparisons between busy hotels in major tourist areas. Hmmm, let's see, maybe the Excalibur or Circus Circus in Vegas. And test for germs on those slot machines!

Ick!

Crossposted at B3