The Pima County Board of Health wanted you to have some hand sanitizer before you have a hot dog, but the Board of Supervisors denied a proposal to require food trucks to provide the gel.

The proposed ordinance also would have required food festivals to provide a handwashing station for every five portable toilets.

During their meeting this morning, the supervisors voted unanimously to reject the proposed ordinance.

Some food truck owners and festival organizers said the county doesn't need to legislate handwashing.

"Hand sanitizer isn't communism, it's common sense," health board member Brad Brumm said after the meeting.

Supervisor Ann Day said common sense will lead people to carry hand sanitizer in a purse or pocket if they want to wash up.

The Brits are hammering home the message: sanitizers and wipes are not enough at petting zoos; people must wash hands with soap and water.

Antibacterial gels and wipes are not a substitute for washing hands with soap and water. These gels or wipes may be unable to remove contamination in the way that running water can. However, using such gels after hand washing with soap and water may further reduce the risk of picking up these infections.

Dr John Clarke, a consultant microbiologist at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, said, “Touching animals, fences and other surfaces can lead to infection, as you may pick up these bacteria and accidentally pass them to your mouth. It only takes a small number of the bacteria to cause infection.”

Proper handwashing requires access to proper facilities; the Riley County Fair starts later this week (that’s in Manhattan, Kansas) and I doubt they gotten the message.
 

Sunday in Brisbane (that’s in Australia) was a perfect chance to discover the local wildlife: kangaroos and koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Emma and Sorenne were overly excited by the opportunity. When it was their turn to get their photo taken with the koala, however, I noticed the sign on the hand sanitizer station saying, “Out of Order. Sorry for any inconvenience.” As we exited the area into the food court, Emma grabbed some sanitizing wipes that were available (but unmarked and almost not noticeable) on a table and cleaned up Sorenne’s hands the best she could.

After our afternoon “tea” (that’s Australian for “snack”), we headed into the Kangaroo Rescue area. For $2 I bought a rather large bag of kangaroo feed, and we proceeded to shove our hands into the faces of every kangaroo who passed by. Emma was brave and lay down on the ground to pose with one of the big boys. For me the highlight was either seeing a pregnant mommy ‘roo whose joey was wiggling about in her pouch or watching Sorenne’s face light up when the baby kangaroos ate from her hands (right exactly as shown).

Upon exiting the area (which was filled with scrub turkeys, ducks, wombats, emus and feces in addition to the kangaroos), there was a handwashing station with ample running cold water and soap but no paper towel to dry hands. The park prides itself on reusing water, and there was clear signage indicating that all water in use was recycled except for handwashing, food preparation, and drinking water. I didn’t feel confident that they were able to separate distribution so well after realizing that handwashing wasn’t possible in the koala cuddling zone.

Handwashing really isn’t simple, especially when the proper tools are not available.
 

I couldn't care less about Real Housewives of Miami, however I will admit one of the wives got something right – her use of hand sanitizer after visiting a pig farm.

Petting zoos and farms have all been linked to different kinds of outbreaks, from E. coli to salmonella, so when petting an animal, either wash your hands or sanitize them. However, if you are going to season a whole pig in your kitchen, don’t use your oven mitts and dish towels to hold it and then place those same items on your countertop. Always use separate utensils for raw and cooked foods, including cutting boards if possible.

Really, I just happened to walk into my living room as the events unfolded. Word.