We
face cold and flu season annually. Thus, the health officials, health care
clinics and hospitals keep repeating the same statement with the same message. Wash. Your. Hands!
The
cold and flu season for year 2019-2020 runs towards tragedy due to the new
coronavirus outbreak sweeping across the globe. Therefore the medical and
health officials stick thoroughly into their message.
Personal
hygiene has become very important due to the spread of the virus widely over a
number of countries. Maintaining our own hygiene is the one and only way to get
prevented from the virus. According to the health officials, washing hands in a
proper way is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the viral flu.
All
the users on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are sharing posts revealing the
importance of handwashing. They try it as an attempt to make people aware of
how to stop the critical condition. Kristen Bell, the actress recently joined
with an Instagram post showing how important and effective handwashing is.
The
Photos Reveal it All
She
recently shared
a number of photos sent to her by her loving mom on her Instagram
page. The photos show her mom’s hands at different stages of cleanliness.
Hands
of her mother were covered with a cream called Glo-Germ. This cream is a
mineral oil that simulates germs and is only visible under a UV light. The
cream illuminated how much dirt was on Bell’s mom’s hands although the hands
appeared very clean to our naked eyes.
Altogether
there were six pictures shared by Bell beginning with unwashed hands and ending
with hands that had been washed for about thirty seconds using soap. There were
noticeable changes in the photos shared by Bell. There were striking changes
between a six-second wash with soap and a fifteen-second wash with soap. And
also between a fifteen-second wash and a thirty-second wash.
Bell
posted these striking images along with a caption "30 SECONDS WITH SOAP YALL!"
Handwashing
Process in America
It’s
reported that Americans are not so vigilant on washing hands properly nowadays.
They seem to act carelessly without being aware of what officials announce.
It’s
said that about 34% of Americans do
not wash their hands after going to the washrooms. 34% of the population
represents about 73 million people from the total population. Well, it’s not
only the frequency which has caused issues. It’s the method of washing hands as
well. Even though 34% of people don’t wash hands 99.2 million out of the
remaining 66% don’t use soap for the washing.
And
also over
seventy percent of Americans wash their hands for less than twenty seconds
at a time according to the American Statistics.
7
years back, 2013 some researchers who were from Michigan State University
accommodated themselves in public restrooms to engage in the process of
evaluating handwashing practices of the general public. As expected, the final
results weren’t great.
The
research studies revealed that only
five percent of the population actually washed their hands taking time to
kill germs and bacteria. These revelations were shocking even to the authors
who proceeded with the research study.
"These
findings were surprising to us because past research suggested that proper hand
washing is occurring at a much higher rate," stated Carl Borchgrevink, an
associate professor of hospitality business at Michigan State University in
East Lansing.
And
also a great gender gap was noticed. According to Business
Insider, 65% of females in their poll stated that washing their hands as a
method to get rid of germs, while only 52% of males said the same thing.
Why
is it Important to Wash Hands?
There’s
no argument that the greatest defending force against the spread of germs is
Handwashing. Researchers
in London have discovered that regular practice of handwashing can prevent a
million deaths during one year.
This
is due to the millions of bacteria in or on our bodies which could be
transmitted to other people at any time. The Center for
Disease Control (CDC) shows that over 50% of healthy people have the
micro-organism named Staphylococcus aureus living on or in their nasal
passages, hair, throats or skin.
Can
Sanitizer Take The Place Of Hand Washing?
Simply,
the answer is ‘No’. We recommend that sanitizers are only better when a sink is
unavailable. Using sanitizers is not as effective as washing hands using soap
and water.
Business
Insider executed their own UV light experiment to compare a hand wash using
sanitizer which took thirty-seconds. The final results were obvious. The main
problem regarding the hand sanitizer is that it doesn’t really wash the
bacteria off our hands. Instead, the sanitizers simply neutralize the bacteria
and this means that these bacteria could resurge later.
The
Method To Wash Your Hands In A Proper Way
First
of all, make sure that you’re cleaning your hands by washing them frequently.
The CDC recommends people to wash hands during the following key times:
- Before, during, and after engaging in food preparation
- Before having food
- Before and after taking care for someone at home who is suffering from flu with vomiting or diarrhea
- Before and after applying medicine to a cut or wound
- After going to the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- After cleaning your nose, sneezing or coughing
- After touching animal feed, animal waste or animals
- After handling food or treats for pets
- After touching garbage
The
CDC recommends to follow
these five steps for a proper handwashing:
- First wash your hands with clean, running warm or cold water, turn off the tap, and apply soap.
- Wash the hands by rubbing them together after applying soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails in a perfect way.
- Scrub both your hands for at least 20 seconds. Hope you need a timer? Well, sing or hum the “Happy Birthday” song from start to end twice.
- Rinse both the hands well under clean, running water.
- Dry your hands properly after washing, using a clean towel or an air drier.
Please
keep in mind that each single person is responsible to prevent the spread of
the virus with more and more cases of COVID-19 being reported per each day. You
needn’t do big things to prevent this. The simple action for you to continue
along is to wash your hands to safeguard your family and those at high risk.
Source
of the information: theheartysoul.com
Post a Comment