Heroes are awesome. They protect countless lives from villainous attacks. Will you believe me when I say that you are also saving the lives of other people? By practicing proper handwashing, you are also a hero that protects the lives of everyone around you from deadly infections.
Proper handwashing is the simplest yet most effective intervention an individual can do to prevent serious diseases from spreading. Sam Stephens, head of Clean the World Foundation, said that “By just handwashing with soap can reduce death rates from pneumonia and diarrhea up to 65%. When people wash their hands in the right ways at the right times, it can be more effective than medication, vaccine, or even clean water, as a single intervention against these diseases”. The possibility of being infected and infecting other people with germs like salmonella, e. coli 0157, and, of course, novel coronavirus, can dramatically decrease by washing your hands for more than 20 seconds.
How do germs spread?
Just like any other hero, we must learn how our enemy works. Germs are bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic organisms that cause diseases. It is mostly present in fecal matter and commonly touched objects like handrails, tabletops, or mobile phones. People can get infected by touching their eyes, nose, mouth, and preparing or eating foods with unwashed hands. Note that one of the reasons why the novel coronavirus spread like wildfire is because of improper hand hygiene.
When are the key times to wash our hands?
We should always practice proper handwashing until it becomes a habit. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have listed down key times when you are likely to get and spread germs. Handwashing is necessary:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating food
- Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After using the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
- After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
- After handling pet food or pet treats
- After touching garbage
How do we practice proper handwashing?
Soap plays an important role in trapping and removing germs off our hands. Make sure to have available clean water, soap, and neat, dry towel or tissue. You can also sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice or the chorus of your favorite song as timer to ensure a minimum of 20 seconds hand-scrubbing. The Department of Health, through the Healthy Pilipinas Facebook Page, shared the steps to follow on proper handwashing:
- Wet your hands with water and apply soap.
- Lather your hands by rubbing your palms together with soap.
- Soap the back of your hands.
- Scrub in between your fingers.
- Scrub under your nails.
- Scrub between your thumbs.
- Scrub around your fingers with a twisting motion.
- Rinse your hands well under clean water. Dry your hands with a single-use towel or air dryer.
You can also watch the video on how to properly wash your hands through https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=617160515806067
Experiencing this pandemic has made a lot of people conscious of their hand hygiene. October 15 is Global Handwashing Day. Protect yourself and your community from the disease-carrying germs. Remember that it only takes 20 seconds to save a life. (DKFV/NPC MEVF/NNC-NCR)
References:
https://www.sandoz.com/stories/access-medical-information/washing-hands-saving-lives-surprising-health-benefits-clean-hands
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/why-handwashing.html
https://www.unilever.com/news/news-and-features/Feature-article/2020/why-handwashing-with-soap-helps-reduce-the-spread-of-covid-19.html
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Ffeatures%2Fhandwashing%2Findex.html
