OTTAWA undefined Evidence shows that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not an adequate substitute for old-fashioned hand-washing, says a new article posted on the website of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The article references a study done in the United States, for which results were released earlier this year at a meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine.

It showed long-term care facilities were more likely to see outbreaks of the norovirus undefined a severe gastrointestinal sickness often causing diarrhea and/or vomiting undefined if their staff more often used hand sanitizers for routine hand-cleaning instead of soap and water.