JEDDAH: A doctor here has found that there are unacceptable levels of bacteria on the cuffs, collars, buttons and sleeves of the military uniforms of healthcare workers – posing a real health threat to staff and patients. This was the startling finding presented by Dr. Khadijah Yusuf Al-Aali, an assistant professor at Taif University's College of Medicine, at the final session of the Second International Congress of the Pan-Arab Regional Group of Military Medicine held Thursday, Dec. 9 in Jeddah. She said she found this microbial contamination on the military uniforms worn by staff working at an Armed Forces hospital. Al-Aali began her presentation by explaining the impact of such potential contamination on public health at Armed Forces hospitals and other military health centers. She said that hospital environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing healthcare workers and patients. “The aim of my present study was to evaluate the presence and distribution of microbial contamination (bacterial) on military uniforms and its impact on general health care, because there is a risk of transmission of pathogenic microorganisms in the hospital setting,” she noted. Al-Aali told the audience that she collected a total of 400 samples for her study from military uniforms at Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital, from military staff, physicians, technicians and administrators. “All samples were collected from cuffs, pockets, sleeves and buttons. The samples were collected by sterile cotton swab and were immediately streaked on different media and then incubated under different temperatures. Unfortunately, after the incubation, we discovered colonies of bacteria using standard methods. We analyzed the data with the use of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) software version 10.0.” The results, said Al-Aali, showed that microbial contamination was detected in all study samples. She added that a total of 19 different microbial species were isolated from military uniforms at Al-Hada.“There is a huge lack of knowledge regarding microbial contamination in hospitals. My present investigation recommends each hospital must have an effective infection control program under the direction of an infection control committee. Microbial pollution in some hospitals associated with the military sector should be decreased by implementing legislation and policies to ensure a healthier environment and a decrease in the danger,” stressed Al-Aali. She also recommended that the hospital infection control committee should cooperate with family preventive medicine departments to enlighten the public about this problem. They should hold periodic lectures for all healthcare workers to inform them about the spread of bacteria on military uniforms worn by either the staff or visitors to the hospitals.
