Panjiva Chief Executive Officer Josh Green said with nearly 6,614,000 pounds of hand sanitizer being shipped in the third quarter alone this year, the most likely explanation for the increase is fear about H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, CNN reported Friday.
The third-quarter total estimated by the research firm marks a drastic increase from the nearly 2,205,000 pounds shipped in 2008's third quarter.
A spokesman for Johnson & Johnson, which makes the hand sanitizer Purell, supported Green's theory.
"Due to the influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak this past spring and resurgence this fall, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. has experienced heavy demand on supplies of Purell," spokesman Marc Boston said in a statement.
CNN said the increased sales of sanitizers like Purell have left manufacturers struggling to meet consumer demand.
The World Health Organization said this month nearly 400,000 people contracted laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide to date, resulting in more than 4,700 deaths. The outbreak started last spring in Mexico.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
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