2023-12-17 14:52:27
SATURATED NURSE
Updated Sunday, December 17, 2023 – 13:52
The microorganisms that we bring home on our soles cause everything from intestinal infections that cause diarrhea and vomiting, urinary tract infections, to conjunctivitis, pneumonia…
Illustration by LUIS PAREJO
When one goes outside Espaa and travel to countries like Finland, Sweden or Japan Discover lifestyles different from those we usually have in our country. Without a doubt one of those we should imitate is the fact of take off your shoes as soon as we get home, and not so much for comfort, for religious reasons or because the feet move with total freedom, but because without knowing it we are putting our health at risk and especially that of our children.
In what countries does this custom exist?
Not allowing entry into the house with street shoes is a very common custom in Asian and Middle Eastern countries. On our continent, it is the citizens of the northern European countries who have this custom most deeply rooted, and not so much in Spain, Portugal or Italyalthough in our country it is becoming more and more widespread.
What does science say?
One of the most recent studies is the one carried out in 2008 by the Dr. A.S. Charles Gerba, microbiologist and professor at the University of Arizona, and which also yields very clear results. For this research I handed out new pairs of shoes to a group of peopleasked them to use them in their daily lives and collected them to analyze them after fifteen days.
The result left no room for doubt: Each pair of shoes, on average, had 421,000 bacteria attached to the soles. More than we can find on a toilet seat.
Do those bacteria on the soles stick to the tiles?
Correct. Those hundreds of thousands of bacteria don’t stay stuck to the soles without affecting anything else. In another phase of the study they were able to verify that, in 90% of casesa considerable number of them They were stuck to the tiles and flooring of the house.. From the ground of the street to the ground of our home.
How can these bacteria infect me?
Touching the soles of shoes with your hands and then bringing them to your face seems unusual, since we do not usually touch them, but if we rest our hands on the floor of the house or if we eat some food that has fallen, then we can get infected.
If I have children at home, is the danger greater?
Totally, just like if people live with a weakened immune system. Children crawl, play lying down almost anywhere in the house, put their toys on the floor, bring their hands from the floor to their mouth… and therefore hygiene measures have to be stricter. Walking with street shoes on the surfaces where they play can put their health at risk.
Would it help to clean the soles of the shoes?
It is true that if we clean the soles with water and detergent practically all of these microorganisms will disappear, some studies speak of up to 99%, but it is not a practice that most of us can incorporate into our daily lives. We should be more aware of washing our hands frequently and leaving aside cleaning the soles.
What dangers can these bacteria have?
The microorganisms that this researcher found in the highest concentration are e-coli, klebsiella pneumoniae, serratia, c-difficile and s-aureus. All of them are more than well known and usually responsible for health problems such as intestinal infections that cause diarrhea and vomiting, urinary tract infections, conjunctivitis, pneumonia… Diseases that can have important consequences in immunocompromised people.
Christmas: a good time to start
In a few days, visits to other homes for lunch or dinner as a family will multiply, and it may be a good time to Ask the host if they prefer that we leave our shoes at the entrance.
Dispose of throwaway slippers or socks with non-slip soles of different sizes can be a good option to encourage guests to take off their shoes.
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