October 15-Global Handwashing Day
Global Handwashing Day is celebrated this Sunday, October 15, in order to promote the culture of handwashing and raise awareness of its great benefits. Mediclinics wants to celebrate this day, designing the infographic of the head of this article, to emphasize the importance of washing and drying your hands correctly.
Keeping your hands clean is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Some viruses and microbes are directly contagious and can cause serious illness if hands are not properly washed with water and soap or you haven’t used a hand sanitizer.
Some of the most notable benefits of good hand hygiene are:
-Reduces the incidence of diarrhea by almost half.
-Decreases the rate of respiratory infections.
-Minimizes the incidence of skin diseases, eye infections such as trachoma and parasitic intestinal infections such as ascariasis and trichuriasis.
When is hand washing mandatory?
Before, during and after preparing food
Before you eat
Before and after caring for someone in your home who has vomiting or diarrhea
Before and after treating a cut or wound
After going to the bathroom
After changing a diaper or cleaning a child who has gone to the bathroom
After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
After touching an animal, animal food or animal feces
After handling pet food or treats
After touching the garbage
How to wash your hands?
1. Wet your hands with clean water (warm or cold, warmer water can cause more skin irritation and it is worse for the environment), turn off the tap and soap your hands with soap or foam.
2. Rub your hands together until they lather. Rub the foam on the back of your hands between your fingers and under your nails.
3. Rub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
4. Rinse properly your hands with clean water.
5. Dry yor hands with a hand dryer or a clean wipe. It is advisable to do this for at least 10 seconds, as it is essential that your hands are completely dry.
When should you wash your hands with soap/foam and when should you use hand sanitizer?
Use hand sanitizer when hands are not visibly dirty. It is faster, more effective and better tolerated by the hands than washing them with soap and water. The antiseptics in the hand sanitizer remove a greater number of microorganisms.
Instead, wash your hands with soap and water when they are visibly dirty, stained with blood or other body fluids, or after using the toilet. When you suspect exposure to pathogens that release spores, and in particular to Clostridium difficile outbreaks, the recommended method is washing your hands with soap and water.
In short, hand washing today is the fastest, easiest and most effective method of preventing diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and parasites. it must last at least 15 seconds to be effective. There are specific moments in our daily lives when it is essential to wash our hands, such as before eating, after going to the bathroom or touching your pet. It should be noted that for health personnel, hand washing has become not only a habit but a necessity for hygiene and health for the entire population. Washing or not washing your hands properly means staying healthy or getting sick.
From Mediclinics, as manufacturer in hand dryers, soap dispensers and other accessories and solutions for the bathroom, aimed at improving the quality of life, hygiene and health of the people in this area, we advise you to follow all these recommendations offered to you in this post of our blog.