National Handwashing Awareness
By Tajuana Lordeus PA-C
The first week of December is designated as National Handwashing Awareness Week. As a health care professional, I simply love that various groups and organizations create annual days or weeks to highlight their topics and have platforms for education.
Considering this time of the year is in the midst of holiday celebrations and gatherings of friends and families, it is imperative that we pause and be reminded of one way in which to show our love. Minimizing risk of infection and disease is a great gift to those about which you care deeply!! Don’t provide the anecdotal ‘gift that keeps giving’ – which usually is in reference to all the viruses and bacteria we spread through so many touches this time of the year.
If you are going to wash your hands, do it right and do it frequently! Be mindful that you do not only need to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom or before you eat food. These times are important but germs are also obtained from touching door knobs, perusing aisles and items while shopping, and shaking hands and touching during greetings.
To pique your interest about how important handwashing is to stem the spread of illness, here are some facts I found:
- Handwashing can prevent 1 in 3 diarrhea related illnesses and 1 in 5 infections (including the flu).
- Those who regularly wash their hands have decreased sickness so therefore use less antibiotics (thus lessening risk of antibiotic resistance).
- Pneumonia is the number one cause of childhood death and it is preventable by frequent hand washing.
- Moist hands are 1,000 more times likely to spread bacteria than dry hands (so DRY your hands after washing).
- People who wash their hands have 24% less sick days related to respiratory illness and 51% fewer sick days related to a sick stomach.
- Center for Disease Control notes that only 31% of men and 65% of women washed their hands after using a public restroom.
- Reusable cloth towels have millions of bacteria in their fibers (use disposable paper towels instead).
The Center for Disease Control recommends five steps to washing your hands: WET, LATHER, SCRUB, RINSE and DRY. It has been advised that hands be washed for at least 20 seconds (which equates to singing Happy Birthday twice) by the American Red Cross. Be sure to wet hands first, add soap, and get a good lather going. In answer to the question you may be poised to ask, warm water is preferred over cold water for hand washing as it cuts through the oils better that harbors germs. Make sure all surfaces of hands are washed, clean under nails, wash wrists, and between fingers. Rinse lather and all hand surfaces off. Then finally do NOT skip drying hands off with a disposable clean towel (see aforementioned reference to moist hands).
Before we conclude, I would be remiss if I did not offer advice I have gleaned about use of hand sanitizer. Soap and water trumps use of hand sanitizer as it does a better job of eliminating germs. If you do not have access to soap and water, hand sanitizer is a good second option. Know that it may not cut through grease and dirt as easily and it may not remove pesticides and heavy metals. Look for sanitizers that have at least 60% alcohol content per one source. Look at directions for amount indicated for use. Rub sanitizer all over hand surfaces until dry, usually for about 20 seconds.
Finally, remember the other principles of hand cleanliness include: Not coughing into your hands (cough into your elbow instead), Not sneezing into hands, and remembering NOT to touch your face with your hands to reduce your exposure to germs. Share love through the new year NOT germs and bacteria!
Sources: getreadyforflu.org, nationaltoday.com, cdc.gov