Corona-a pandemic could affect greeting gestures sustainable

In Germany and many other Parts of the world, it is customary to give the greeting of the right Hand. Anyone who does not do this, or even an offered Hand is not taken soon it was considered rude.

When shaking hands, you have to come physically, however, relatively close. In addition, contact with bacteria and viruses are passed on via the skin. Therefore, the hands pressure during the current Corona pandemic frowned upon and could remain that way thereafter. At least if you follow the advice of some researchers.

Researchers call for: COVID-19 should be the end of the hand shock

In an article In the Mayo Clinic two experts for infection call diseases, even after the end of the acute Corona pandemic, not to a handshake as a welcome gesture to return. The Mayo Clinic refers to Dr. Anthony Fauci (Director of the “National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases” and White house adviser on health issues), as well as Dr. Gregory Poland (head of the “Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group”).

In the contribution of the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Fauci calls the Tradition of the handshake, and even after the COVID-19-pandemic, since, for example, the spread of the Influenza (“flu”) could be contained. Dr. Gregory Poland agrees with him:

“About 20 years ago, I began to speak in national and international lectures, about. The whole idea, the right Hand stretch out, dates back to the middle ages, as they showed by the stretching out of the right Hand, that you hold no weapon in it,” says Dr. Poland. “The reality is that you could wear in today’s time, so to speak, a bioweapon. I think there are much safer, and culturally more appropriate ways to send a greeting.“

In fact, British researchers showed, by the end of 2014 in the “American Journal of Infection Control” published study that to transmit a handshake for infectious agents of humans are. The study demonstrated that alternative forms of Welcome, such as the high-five (High Five) or the fist greeting (colloquially known as the “Ghetto fist” or “Fist Bump” is known) is significantly less germs transferred:

“We have developed an experimental model to test the Transfer of bacteria during greeting exchange, and were able to show that the Transfer Regards, in alternative so-called Dap, known as the High Five and fist bump compared to a traditional Handshake are dramatically reduced. The appropriation of the fist-salute as a form of greeting could reduce the Transmission of infectious diseases between individuals significantly.“

How are pathogens transferred when shaking hands?

Under the heading of infection control, the Federal centre for health education (BZgA) explains how the Transmission of pathogens from person-to-person works. The hands plays an important role shake:

“For example, if a flu Patient sneezes in the Hand, the virus in the palm of your hand. Is the patient now a different people, the Hand can move the virus on. If this person then runs his Hand to his mouth, to the nose or the eyes, it can infect the mucous membranes of the pathogens,” describes the BZgA, the so-called “contact infection” or “smear” on the example of the Influenza Virus (influenza virus).

Where is the handshake?

Dr. Poland, mentions in the above quotation the middle ages as the era of the cultural greeting gesture of the hand shock was.

In an article in the science magazine spectrum about greeting rituals of the human ethnologist and anthropologist sees Schiefenhövel Wulf the beginning of the handshaking, however, much earlier: “In ancient Greece and in the Roman Empire, the people have pressed apparently a few thousand years ago the hands”, so Schiefenhövel.

Until today, it is not clear exactly where and when this social Ritual took its origin. In any case, it has not put the world through; the handshake is only gestures to one of many possible Welcome and in some cases even frowned upon. “In some cultures, the hands will shake just between a woman and a man as a nearly intimate physical relationship, and therefore as inappropriate perceived,” explains Wulf Schiefenhövel, such as in Islamic societies.

What to convey with the gesture?

Agree Schiefenhövel and Poland are in it, what is the meaning of the gesture of the hand giving: you should show that you hold no weapon in it, and the peaceful intention of approaching.

In addition, the hands also smell of substances and other non-shaking-can be transmitted through verbal information by which you can assess each other better: “This is a gesture that conveys closeness. You yourself can represent, depending on how firmly you press. And the Opposite can find, for example, whether one is sweating or tense,” says Schiefenhövel.

If the handshake after the COVID-19 pandemic, one future, and we will welcome soon, perhaps, by rule of thumb salute, is still unclear – like so Much these days. From a medical point of view, it would be at least useful, to shake hands as a welcome gesture to refrain in the future. (kh)