How many surfaces do your
hands touch each day? It's tough to keep track, and even tougher to imagine
all the germs your hands pick up from those surfaces. But public health
officials say the solution is simple: wash your hands frequently and
thoroughly.
December 2-8 is National
Handwashing Awareness Week, and public health officials urge people to think
about keeping their hands clean as an easy and important way to stay
healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent illness and stop
the spread of germs, such as those that cause the flu, bronchitis,
tonsillitis, conjunctivitis, pneumonia or the common cold.
Will Sawyer, M.D., a family
physician in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been an advocate of proper hand hygiene
for the past 20 years. He is also the creator of Henry the Hand, the
"Champion Handwasher" mascot who advocates for Sawyer's four principles of
hand awareness: wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating; do
not cough into your hands; do not sneeze into your hands; and do not put
your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth, an area Sawyer has dubbed the "T
zone."
Sawyer said following these
principles is a reliable way to protect the body during cold and flu season.
"Remember the only portals of
entry into your body are your eyes, nose, and mouth," Sawyer said in a video
posted to his website,
www.henrythehand.com. "Prevention is in your hands."
Remember that hands should
also be cleaned before, during and after food preparation; before and after
caring for a sick person or treating a wound; after using the toilet or
changing diapers; and after touching animals, animal waste, pet food and
garbage.
Of course it's not only
important to wash your hands, but to do it the right way. The CDC offers
these tips:
- Use cold or warm running water and rub all surfaces of your hands
with soap.
- Keep it up for 20 seconds, or about the length of time it takes to
hum the "Happy Birthday" song twice. Then rinse.
- Dry your hands with a clean towel or air-dry them.
Soap and water is the best way to wash your hands, but if you can't, use an
alcohol-based hand sanitizer that is at least 60 percent alcohol.
-Story by Carrie Gann,
DPH Communications
