CLEAN HANDS SAVE LIVES!
Rosanne Benoit
To celebrate Global Hand Washing day last October, the Centers for Disease Control launched the “Life is Better with Clean Hands campaign”. The campaign encourages people to make handwashing a part of their everyday life and encourages parents to set this example for their kids starting at an early age.
What?? People don’t wash their hands everyday? I mean not even after…..?? A sad but very real fact.
Its such a simple thing to do - for your own health and others. Handwashing is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick.
Wash your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:
Before, during and after preparing food
Before eating food
Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick and vomiting or has 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
Washing your hands is quite easy and one of the simplest ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another, one surface to another, one location to another. Germs spread fast and far! From one person’s hands to your home, workplace, school and hospital.
These 5 steps should be followed each time you wash:
Wet your hands with clean running water. Turn off the water and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together briskly. Lather the backs of your hands, in between your fingers and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. (Hum the “Happy Birthday” jingle from start to finish 2 times)
Rinse your hands under running water.
Dry your hands using clean towel or air dry them.
What if the soap isn’t an Antibacterial Hand Cleaner? No worries. Washing with plain soap and water will handle it! Whether antibacterial or plain soap…the same steps need to be followed. If soap and water is not available you can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on the skin BUT they do not get rid of all germs. They may not be as effective if hands are visibly dirty or greasy. And sanitizers may not remove harmful chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals.
IF SOAP AND WATER IS AVAILABLE THIS IS YOUR LINE OF FIRST DEFENSE