Child with a heart transplant

4 year old Anna had a heart transplant in Feb. 2009.  Her mother says she is active and healthy.  However, her mother insists that Anna and any one in her presence santizer their hands ever 15 minutes.  I told the mother that she is causing Anna harm by over santitizing with the gel santitizer.  Am I right?

[kenkeith]

That does sound excessive, but it should depend on one's activity prior to the request to sanitize their hands. What you say makes sense because the active ingredient in hand sanitizers may be isopropanol, ethanol, n-propanol, or povidone-iodine. It would be wise for mother to know the ingredients of the gel santitizer, but she may be aware?.

[grendslori]

This is definitely going overboard. (I also have a daughter who has been through a heart transplant). It's one thing to keep clean, it's another to go to this extent. Years ago, they would not do a heart transplant on anyone who had a dog; that continued until they realized they were already doing transplants on farmers and ranchers and nothing was happening to those patients. It's like wearing a mask.....most people do not realize the mask only protects you for about 30 seconds; what are you going to do? change a mask every 30 seconds? Transplant patients have a lower immune system, but there is generally enough of a system to allow for some protection. This child is now 6 years old and is probably in school where germs are alive and well and everywhere; this mother really needs to get a grip.