2009-08-29 07:24:21
When should you wash your hands ?
+ After using the bathroom
+ After blowing your nose or coughing
+ Before eating, preparing or serving food
+ After touching pets or other animals
+ After outdoor activities
+ Before and after visiting anyone who is sick
+ When your hands are dirty
+ After changing a diaper
Many cases of colds, flu, and foodborne illness are spread by unclean hands, and these diseases are responsible for billions of dollars each year in health care expenditures and productivity losses in the United States, Dr. Daly pointed out. Worldwide, infectious diseases remain the leading cause of illness and death.
We need to remember the common sense times to clean our hands, said SDA s Sansoni. For example: after using the bathroom, after coughing or sneezing into our hands, before food preparation and when we eat, after changing diapers, after petting your dog or cat, and after taking out the trash.
"Wash your hands!" How many times have you heard that from your parents? You might think they're just nagging you, but actually the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands.
Hand Washing
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if you don't wash your hands frequently, you can pick up germs from other sources and then infect yourself. You're at risk every time you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. In fact, one of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose or their eyes after the cold virus has gotten on their hands.
If people don't wash their hands frequently (especially when they're sick), they can spread germs directly to other people or onto surfaces that others touch. And before you know it, everyone around you is coming down with something!
The First Line of Defense Against Germs
Think about all of the things that you touched today from the telephone to the toilet. Maybe you blew your nose and played with your dog. Whatever you did, you came into contact with germs. So it's easy for germs on your hand to end up in your mouth (maybe when you scarfed that handful of popcorn with your teammates right after soccer practice).
By frequently washing your hands the right way, you'll wash away germs such as bacteria and viruses that you have picked up from other people, through contaminated water and food, from tainted surfaces, or from animals and animal waste.
How to Wash Your Hands Correctly
There's a right way to wash your hands. A splash of water and a drop or two of soap won't do the trick. Follow these simple steps to keep your hands clean:
To prevent chapping or dry skin, use a mild soap with warm water, pat rather than rub hands dry, and apply a moisturizing lotion liberally afterwards.
When there is no soap or water available, waterless hand soaps or scrubs are a good alternative. They're usually available as a liquid, wipes, or towelettes, and often come in small travel sizes that are perfect for keeping in your book bag, car, locker, purse, or sports bag.
Remember, proper and frequent hand washing is the key to preventing the spread of many common infections. So hum a few verses of "Happy Birthday" and lather up!
Dirty hands 'poison thousands'
handwash
Handwashing removes harmful germs
Almost a third of men and many women do not wash their hands after going to the toilet vastly increasing the risk of food poisoning, says a survey.
Many are transferring germs straight from toilet to plate because they also do not wash their hands before preparing food.
To launch National Food Safety Week on Monday, the Food and Drink Federation stressed that even healthy guts can contain potentially harmful bacteria.
They illustrated the danger by releasing pictures which revealed just how many bugs are carried by unwashed hands.
hands
The light patches are germs carried on the hands
People were asked to make a impression on special agar jelly with an unwashed hand.
When ultraviolet light was used to compare the amount of bacteria growing within the handprint with those from a washed hand, the difference was visibly dramatic.
Estimates suggest as many as 4.5 million people suffered from food poisoning in the UK last year - although fewer than 100,000 cases were reported to the authorities.
The main culprits were salmonella, campylobacter and e.coli.
A quarter of men
The survey of more than 2,000 people found that a quarter of men, and 17% of women did not always wash their hands before preparing food.
It found 31% of men and 17% of women confessed to not washing hands after going to the toilet - many of these believed the toilet was clean, or that they were only coming into contact with their family's germs.
One in five said they did not bother because their hands looked clean.
Professor John Krebs, chairman of the Food Standards Agency, said: "Handling food with dirty hands is asking for trouble. Food poisoning is still a big problem in the UK and the simple step of washing our hands will help reduce risks and clean up our act."
Handling food with dirty hands is asking for trouble
Professor John Krebs, Food Standards Agency
Other findings of the survey were disturbing - for example, only 37% of people knew the correct working temperature of a fridge.
Forty-two per cent did not always wash their hands after playing with pets, and more than half did not wash before eating food.
Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiology expert from the University of Aberdeen, said: "There will be those who accuse us of being patronising by focusing on something as basic as handwashing.
"I say to them: 'The next time you meet someone and shake their hand - there's a one in five chance that they are one of those who do not always wash their hands after going to the toilet'."