Hand washing, the Fight against COVID-19

What is Hand washing?

Hand washing is the act of cleaning the hands for the purpose of removing dirt, soil and reducing micro organisms.

Importance of washing your hand.

There are many reasons why someone will wash the hands. But the following are the most important reason why you should wash your hands.

1. It prevents infectious causes of diarrhea and cholera
2. It reduces respiratory infections such as common cold.

How Germs Spread

Hand washing can keep you healthy and prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrhea infections from one person to another. Germs can spread from other people or surfaces when you:

1. Touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
2. Prepare or eat food and drinks with unwashed hands
3. Touch a contaminated surface or objects
4. Blow your nose, cough, or sneeze into hands and then touch other people’s hands or common objects
5. Key Times to Wash Hands
6. You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:
7. Before, during, and after preparing and handling foodstuffs.
8. Before and after eating food
9. Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
10. After using the toilet
11. After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
12. After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
13. After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
14. After handling pet food or pet treats
15. After touching garbage

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is required to always wash hands regularly after you have visited a public place and handled an item or surface that may be frequently touched by other people, such as shopping basket, petrol pumps, door handles, chairs, or ATMs, etc. You should also remember to clean or wash your hands well before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth because if you don’t, germs can enter your body.

How to wash the hands during COVID-19

Correct hand washing technique recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for prevention of transmission of disease includes the following steps:

1. Wet hands with warm or cold running water. The CDC recommends running water because standing basins may be contaminated, but hot vs. cold water does not seem to make a difference.
2. Lather hands by rubbing them with soap, including the backs of hands, between fingers, and under nails. Soap lifts germs from the skin, and studies show that people tend to wash their hands more thoroughly when soap is used rather than water alone.
3. Scrub for at least 20 seconds. Scrubbing creates friction, which helps remove germs from skin, and scrubbing for longer periods removes more germs.
4. Rinse well under running water. Rinsing in a basin can recontaminate hands.
5. Dry with a clean towel or allow to air dry. Wet hands are more easily recontaminated.

The most commonly missed areas are the thumb, the wrist, the areas between the fingers, and under fingernails. Artificial nails and chipped nail polish may harbor microorganisms. Moisturizing lotion is often recommended to keep the hands from drying out; dry skin can lead to skin damage which can increase the risk for the transmission of infection.

Hand washing with soap under running water is the single most effective and inexpensive way to prevent respiratory and fecal oral diseases.