The request to the hospital reads: "Use of gloves is not recommended because of the possibility of infection" • The Ministry of the Environment requires the public to instruct not to use gloves

Only yesterday (Tuesday) has the Health Ministry finally updated its guidelines on the use of disposable gloves. In an internal letter sent by Prof. Itamar Grotto and Prof. Sigal Sadecki to hospitals and health funds, they stated that "glove use is not recommended due to the chance of infection of the gloves."

Photo: Ministry of Health

According to Grotto and Sadecki, in situations where working with gloves is required, such as when preparing food or working with people in therapeutic professions, "the gloves must be changed frequently and between customer and customer."

The use of disposable gloves among the general public does not protect against transmission of infections and may do the opposite, experts say, despite the advice of professionals. The Ministry of Health has refrained from issuing a public recommendation on the matter. 

And so in schools, stores and other places, people use gloves in a way that does not protect against infections, may cause infection to be transmitted and even contaminate the environment.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection contacted Professor Sigal Sadecki, Head of Public Health Services at the Ministry of Health. "I would like you to issue a directive to the public health service to stop the use of disposable gloves," writes Asaf Yazdi, VP of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which raises another issue regarding the use of gloves - environmental pollution.

He says people who use gloves don't throw them in the trash. According to Prof. Hagai Levin, chairman of the Association of Public Health Doctors: "Using gloves without the need for a community can increase the risk of transmitting infections, including corona, due to the lack of handwashing in water and soap." The Ministry of Health declined to address the matter.