With all the pressure to wash hands and sanitize them after doing almost anything and everything, some of us might be thinking, "what if we don't?"... Just for sake of all the water and soap that we are using which, in normal times, might have been considered a near-environmental-distress, why cannot we just skip it?
No we can't, unfortunately! But we can optimize the experience. Here is what the experts tell us.
Sing along and time it!
According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
"Washing your hands properly takes about as long as singing "Happy Birthday" twice"
What more - they tell you exactly how to do it. It is important to ensure that all the surfaces of both your hands are scrubbed enough with soap and then rinsed and dried. And let's not forget to run the suggested background music twice!
Source: How to wash properly, Clean Care is Safer Care, World Health Organization.
Alcohol is sometimes good!
Per Mayoclinic.com, there is an alternative to soap and water: alcohol-based sanitizer. However, the user should make sure that the product has at least 60% alcohol.
And with regards to how to use it: Take the gel/liquid on one palm, making sure you take the right amount as prescribed on the label of the product. Apply evenly over all over your hands until it is absorbed onto your skin. And that's it, your hands are germ-free until your next contact!
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that these sanitizers are inflammable and they might get ignited when exposed to fire. So, use and store it with caution!
So, when is the right time for the ritual?
Of course, the more the better. But since we come in contact with countless things in innumerable ways (which there will surely be a statistic about) through our day, there are certain instances in which we are expected not to skip washing our hands - some of these are prerequisites for our daily activities. Check it out:
Before eating (and after if needed)
Before feeding someone else
Before cooking
Before and after taking care of an ailing person (during, if required)
Before and after treating people with wounds/injuries/sickness
After disposing trash
After changing diapers and using toilets
After visiting public places and/or using public transport
After sneezing or coughing (and using your hands to cover your mouth because it is easier to wash hands than air!)
After handling pets
After cleaning your nose or mouth
And of course, whenever you think your hands are contaminated or dirty!
What do studies show?
Some of the research performed as part of the Global Handwashing partnership throw light on these amazing facts:
Handwashing helps stop the spread of the following infections: Cholera, Diarrhea, Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI), Helminthic infections, Influenza and some of the other illness-causing viruses spread by contact
Mothers can aid in growth of their kids by washing hands before preparing meals for them. In the same lines as Saxton J, Rath S et al in their study, 'Handwashing, sanitation and family planning practices are the strongest underlying determinants of child stunting in rural indigenous communities of Jharkhand and Odisha, Eastern India: a cross-sectional study' as quoted in the global handwashing partnership website:
"Children of mothers who wash their hands with soap or ash have higher mean height-for-age than children of mothers who do not."
So, there is evidence on the effectiveness of handwashing, though there is a way of doing it right! Again, to fall back on facts, a U.S. Department of Agriculture study concludes that people are not cleansing their hands properly 97% of the time, before consumption of their meals. It is left to our imagination as to how much is the percent in other lesser significant times!!
Finally, some motivation!
A picture is worth a thousand words. So, here you go:
Source: Posters, Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives, Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Yeah, there are germs everywhere and let's wash them off as frequently as we can, because we cannot afford to go the other route!! #goodbyecorona
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