Parents beware! The amount of bacteria settling on the pillows and toys of babies is 10 times that found on toilet seats.

That's the discovery made by the Hong Kong Childhealth Foundation which conducted tests on 20 types of household items in August and September.

The foundation, which also interviewed 230 parents about what they knew about bacteria in the household, said the tests showed that the volume of bacteria detected per item in 70 percent of those examined exceeded two million.

Those items carrying the most bacteria were babies' pillows, toys, dining tables, refrigerator doors and remote-control devices which are easily accessible to children. Of the other items, the amount of bacteria found on toilet seats, computer keyboards and shoe cabinets surpassed 200,000.

According to the survey, more than 90 percent of the parents did not bother to keep dining tables clean and 70 percent ignored the high content of bacteria found in babies' pillows, toys and remote-control equipment. It also revealed that less than 30 percent of the respondents would clean their babies' pillows, remote-control devices and refrigerator doors more than three times or more a week.

Foundation president Henry Au Yeung, who's an expert in pediatrics, said all the items tested are within easy reach of children, presenting a grave danger to their health.

"The parents surveyed neglected the importance of cleaning household goods, thus increasing chances of their children being exposed to bacteria," he said.

He suggested that parents should keep household items accessible to children clean at all times, such as having them disinfected three times a week.

This is necessary particularly during the peak season for the outbreak of infectious diseases like influenza.

Au Yeung urged parents to pay more attention to personal hygiene themselves and educate children on cultivating good hygiene habits.

fanfeifei@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 10/28/2011 page1)