Hand sanitizer: A comprehensive narrative review

ABSTRACT

Hand Hygiene is considered as one of the basic and effective way to prevent spread of various contagious diseases including Covid-19. Among the hand sanitizers, alcohol based hand sanitizers are commonly used as they are found to possess good antimicrobial activity against different pathogens. The present review provides a comprehensive overview of the literature regarding hand sanitizers and their ability to prevent various infections. Hand hygiene is one of the basic and very necessary tool to combat various infections including covid-19. However, selection of right type of hand sanitisation is a very important criterion to be considered. An extensive awareness program is required to educate common people related to the appropriate use and serious health hazards of hand sanitizer. During the pandemic lockdown, the decreased availability of alcoholic beverages made a major impact on many lives. People tend to consume alcohol based hand sanitizers in various regions, which are serious concern. Consumption of alcohol based hand sanitizers can lead to serious health hazards and even poisoning. The governing bodies need to update guidelines regarding restriction on number of times to be used on the daily basis and plays an important role in the global pandemic of Covid-19 infection.