Today, October 15th is the Global Handwashing Day and this year marks the 7th. It is no news that hand washing awareness was at its peak this year following the Ebola outbreak. I didn’t even know there was a ‘Global Handwashing Day’ until this week. According to globalhandwashingday.org, this day was originally created for children and schools but hey in these days and times, adults are also exposed to germs. As clean as your work desk may seem, check under the microscope and you will be surprised at what you see. So it is important for everyone, both young and old to make hand washing a habit.
So when should you handwash?
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has stated that it is important for hand washing to be done at these times:
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- Before eating food
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
- 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
Handwashing should be done with soap and water. In the absence of this, hand sanitiser can be used.
The video below illustrates the proper way of washing hands as approved by WHO.
Clean Hands, Save Lives!
Source: CDC, globalhandwashing.org
