Oct. 7--With flu season upon us, health professionals say we should avoid unnecessary physical contact.

Such as handshakes.

That's OK by me, as I've never been much of a handshaker. With some guys it's a competition to see who has the strongest grip.

And with others, it feels creepy, their hands as moist and limp as meat in the butcher case.

But there's another reason I tend to avoid gripping men's paws, and that is that you can't be sure where they've been.

"How disgusting!" my friend Sarah responded when I posted on Facebook the amazing fact that as many as one in three American men do not wash up after using the bathroom.

Even her 6-year-old son knows enough to wash his hands after using the restroom, Sarah said.

"What is a grown man's excuse?"

Excuse? "Busy" would be my guess, not that I've ever confronted a guy leaving the restroom to ask why he failed to use soap and water after No. 1 or No. 2.

Perhaps because I didn't want to be punched in the nose or accused of being a pervert for having paid close enough attention to pose the question.

But notice, I have, and so have others.

"I worked in an office once where people called a guy Phil behind his back," says my pal, Richard. "Turns out it was short for fecalphilia because he didn't wash."

For years, I've thought that someone should look into the go-flush-go phenomenon only to learn that the industry-funded Soap and Detergent Association has been conducting surveys and staking out public restrooms since 2005.

And the reason for the research, according to SDA spokesman Brian Sansoni: "We believe that good hygiene habits play an important role in preventing the spread of illness and disease."

Good hygiene also sells soap, you might add. And a cynic might also suspect that the folks at the Soap and Detergent Association have something to gain by misrepresenting what goes on in the nation's restrooms.

Me, I tend to believe in the numbers, which show that women almost always wash and men sometimes don't.

And so does the nurse at my daughter's high school, who told me Tuesday that she's amazed at how little time boys spend in the restroom.

"They go in, they come out, and the sink stays dry."

So, be sure to get that flu shot and the nasal spray, especially if you're in one of the risk groups for swine flu.

But most of all, keep your hands to yourself. That is, if you know what's good for you.

------

Clay County records its first swine flu death. -- A8

To reach Mike Hendricks, call 816-234-7708, or send e-mail to mhendricks@kcstar.com.

-----

To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kansascity.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.