Junior Yushen Qian said the only time he has gotten sick this year was when his bathroom was out of soap and he had to use hand sanitizers instead.
Sophomore Ashley DiSilvestro, meanwhile, said she believes hand sanitizer is an effective alternative to soap and water.
"I worked at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia over the summer and that is what they used," said DiSilvestro, who has yet to get sick this semester. "We were told it kills more germs than washing hands."
According to several studies that were conducted to test the efficacy of hand sanitizer, it is only a useful component to hand washing but may not be effective on its own.
Although flu cases at Duke this year are higher than past years, Eddie Hull, dean of residence life and executive director of housing services, said he doubts that encouraging students to use hand sanitizer has contributed to the increase in flu cases and sickness this year.
"This is a time of year when illnesses and colds visit every campus," Hull wrote in an e-mail.
Residence Life and Housing Services installed hand sanitizer in bathrooms across campus to help reduce water usage at the University, in response to the drought that has swept North Carolina.
"The idea about installing hand sanitizer in bathrooms actually came from the Duke Hospital-not as a 'use instead of water' strategy-there are many reasons why using water and soap is the best way to 'clean' your hands," Hull said. "There are times, however, when using a hand sanitizer is suitable."
He noted that times when students do not have to wash off dirt or grease on their hands are suitable instances to use hand sanitizers.
But sophomore Elizabeth Lee said she never uses them.
"I like my hands to feel clean and using soap and water feels cleaner," she said. "It seems like it works better than hand sanitizer."
Senior Stephanie Amoako said she uses the hand sanitizers occasionally because she is trying to cut down on her water usage.
According to a 2003 Food and Drug Administration study, hand sanitizer should be used mainly as a supplement to soap and water, rather than a substitute.
But another study, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that to reduce infections in health care settings, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are recommended as a component of hand hygiene as long as the ethanol concentration is above 60 percent.
The hand sanitizer installed by RLHS has an ethanol concentration of 63 percent.
Hull said the intention behind installing the hand sanitizers were to educate students about water usage, to help reduce water consumption and to promote a more germ-free environment. He noted that the products are being used.
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