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Posted: May 5, 2020 12:30:28 pm
World Hand Hygiene Day: It’s time for all of us to make a change in behavior. (Source: Thinkstock Images)
Since we were young children, we have been told to keep our hands clean and to wash them regularly, before and after eating, after using a bathroom, or when entering the house. Although hand hygiene is not a new concept, it has become more important due to the current health crisis. The global consensus is that washing your hands regularly with soap and water is the best way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and many other communicable diseases.
World Health Organization (WHO) marked May 5 as World Hand Hygiene Day, recognizing the role clean and safe hands play in preventing many serious infections. This year, the theme is “Save Lives: Clean Your Hands” and is aligned with the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, highlighting their critical role in infection prevention. However, the broader goal is to make hand hygiene a global priority by promoting behavior change.
Food and waterborne diseases are common worldwide, especially in India. According to estimates, there are around 10 million cases of foodborne illness in the country, said Vikas Bagaria, founder of Pee Safe. These are caused by contamination of food from different sources, mainly dirty hands, both cooking and serving, as Indians traditionally use their hands to eat. Some serious infections that are the result of dirty hands include hepatitis and food poisoning. According to data from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, about 1.8 million children under the age of five die globally from diseases related to diarrhea and pneumonia every day. Good hand hygiene and the awareness around you can help reduce this number.
Dirty hands can also cause other health problems. Touching the face with dirty hands can transfer germs to the skin and cause outbreaks, blackheads, etc. In people with sensitive skin, it can cause redness and rashes. Hand hygiene is also essential to reduce the use of antibiotics and reduce resistance to them, a common problem today. This is because increased infections can lead to increased consumption of antibiotics and further contribute to antibiotic resistance.
What is the correct way to wash your hands?
Take some soap and foam. Wipe the back of your hands, between your fingers, the end of your fingers, thumb, palms, wrist, and the top of your hand again. Rinse the soap off your hands. Close the tap with a handkerchief to avoid cross contamination. Throw the tissue in a container. You should take about 20 seconds to wash your hands properly (sing the happy birthday song twice if you want!).
In case you travel, be sure to carry a good quality alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you. This can be as effective as washing your hands with soap and water.
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What has the pandemic prepared us for?
the coronavirus pandemic It has brought us back to basics. From the ancient Indian “namaste” to frequent hand cleaning, he has stressed the importance of some basic practices. Simply using soap and clean water to wash your hands well or rubbing them with an alcohol-based disinfectant can greatly reduce exposure to disease. A hand sanitizer is perhaps the closest alternative to hand washing, especially when a person is outside and does not have access to clean toilets. The need of the hour is to spread the message and play our part in the fight not only against Covid-19 but against any future pandemic; after all, everything is in your hands.
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