Doctors who shake hands with their patients may be unwittingly acting as a dangerous source of transmitting disease.

The researchers suggested that ‘handshake-free zones’ should be created, especially in hospitals, and replacement gestures, such as nods or bows, should be adopted.
“The handshake represents a deeply established social custom. In recent years, however, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of hands as vectors for infection, leading to formal recommendations and policies regarding hand hygiene in hospitals and other health care facilities”, the researchers wrote in their report.
Source-Medindia