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 Hand washing

 

 

Did you know that 1.8 million children die because of pneumonia and diarrheal disease which are caused by not washing hands properly ?  And did you know that the estimated global rates of hand-washing after using the toilet are just 19%?

Hand- washing is important to remove bacteria, virus , micro-organisms ,dirt, grease and other unwanted substances ; Drying out hands after washing is also important o avoid wet contamination i.e (wet things are more likely to get contaminated because the water helps micro-organisms to grow , spread and thrive and it also acts as adherent to help stick particles together). Other viable option to use if plentiful water and soap are unavailable include using :

·         Hand sanitizer

·         Wet wipes

·          Uncontaminated Ash

Washing hands properly holds the following benefits :

·         The risk of getting sick with diarrhea is cut by 23-40% and it reduces the risk of getting diarrheal illness , in the people with weakened immune system by 58%

·         It reduces respiratory illness like colds (flu) in general population by 16.21%

Instances where washing hands are necessary :

WHO recommends washing hands for atleast 20seconds before and after certain activities :

·         After using the toilet

·         After cleaning a baby's bottom (changing diapers )

·         Before and after preparing food

·         After handling raw meat, fish, poultry and money (paper currency)

·         Before and after eating

·         Before and after interacting with someone who's sick

·         After touching animals or handling pets (that also includes handling animal food, clothes touched by a wild animal and the like )

·         When coming inside from outdoors

·         After taking out trash

How to wash hands ?

Scrubbing hands for 20seconds creates friction which removes pathogens ; using soap and water is the ideal way 


Cleaning hands has public health interventions

The germs on hands can be transferred easily onto surfaces , between one another or simply by coughing or simply by coughing or sneezing . This has an effect on the public health so washing hands can protect not only you but the public around by preventing and or reducing

·       Infectious diseases

·       Influenza

·       COVID 19

·       Respiratory infections

·       Infant mortality rate

Data presented by UNICEF states that hand-washing is more effective in saving lives than a single vaccine or medical intervention cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths by acute respiratory infection by one quarter .

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