Curious here. How can anti-bacterial hand soap hurt me? Thanks.
The most common symptoms experienced by you (cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever) are caused by viruses. Antibacterial products don't kill viruses. And for the symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, which may be caused by bacteria, the people who used regular soaps had no greater risk than those who used antibacterial products.
Many scientists fear that the widespread use could lead to a strains of resistant bacteria, and the ingredients will not be effective for the times when they really are needed.
If you have youngsters, most scientists accept the hygiene hypothesis, which centers on the idea that children need to be exposed to some bacteria in early childhood in order to strengthen their immune systems.
Plain old soap, water and a vigorous scrubbing should be all that's needed.
Widespread use of products containing these agents could lead to the evolution of superbugs that are immune to them. There is also the theory that children who grow up in a normal environment develop natural immunities to bacteria. Using antibacterial products deprives them of this opportunity.
Also, the primary agent, triclosan, has been shown to kill human cells. Most importantly, using these antibacterials has not been shown to reduce the incidence of infection.