Teddy in bugs scandal

2 February 2002

Doctors in New Zealand are calling for teddy bears to be banned from doctors’
surgeries, after discovering that nine out of ten of the cuddly toys are
contaminated with moderate to heavy levels of common bacteria, such as E.
coli. The researchers tested hard and soft toys taken from six GP
surgeries. Though they found no evidence that teddies are “infectious”, Paul
Corwin and his team at Christchurch School of Medicine say it is time to give
them the boot. They publish their results this month in the British Journal
of General Practice.