NATIONAL HANDWASHING AWARENESS WEEK, DECEMBER 5th-11th
Elizabeth Bentley, PharmD Candidate 2011
“No part of human skin is spared from bacteria. Bacterial counts on the hands range from five thousand to five million colony-forming units per square centimeter.”1
—Atul Gawande in Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
Tired of missing classes and finals because you have a bad case of the sniffles? In the midst of the cold and flu season, National Handwashing Awareness Week (December 5 to 11) emphasizes the importance of keeping your hands clean to prevent nasty infections. In addition to getting a seasonal flu vaccine, handwashing is a powerful weapon in stopping the spread of disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stress the need to wash hands to lower the incidence of infections of all kinds.2 Roll up your sleeves, and get out the soap and water:
· Before preparing a meal
· After handling raw meat
· After changing a diaper
· After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
· After going to the bathroom
· After touching an animal or anything in its immediate surroundings
In addition to making handwashing a habit, it’s essential to complete your task in the right way.2 Using soap and warm water, rub your hands together to make a good lather that completely covers your skin. Try to keep this up for 15 to 20 seconds, or approximately the time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. Beatles fans may want to try repeating the refrain to “Let It Be.” During this time, interlace your fingers to reach all the creases.3 Let the water run again, and rinse your hands thoroughly. After drying with a paper towel, take that same towel to turn off the faucet.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are good options when you can’t get to a sink.2 Simply apply the product to one palm, and rub both hands together until dry. Make sure the product contains at least 60% alcohol, because anything less than that won’t be effective.4 It’s important to know that these products do not eliminate all bacteria and are not effective if hands are visibly dirty.2 In these cases, it’s best to find a sink and scrub up.
Dr. Will Sawyer, who has been promoting infection prevention for more than a decade through his Henry the Hand Foundation, emphasizes the 4 principles of hand awareness.5 This goes a step beyond mere handwashing. 1) Always wash your hands if they are dirty and before you eat a meal. 2) Don’t cough into your hands. 3) Don’t sneeze into your hands; use the crook of your elbow or a tissue instead. 4) Don’t put your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth.
So remember: Before you ask Aunt Martha to pass the pumpkin pie this holiday season, make sure you’ve both washed your hands.
For More Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov
Henry the Hand Foundation: http://www.henrythehand.com
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int
References
1. Gawande A. Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance. New York, NY: Picador; 2007.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wash your hands. http://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/. Accessed December 2, 2010.
3. World Health Organization. Five moments for hand hygiene. http://www.who.int/gpsc/tools/Five_moments/en/index.html. Accessed December 2, 2010.
4. Franklin D. Hand sanitizers, good or bad? New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/health/21cons.html. Published March 21, 2006. Accessed December 3, 2010.
5. Henry the Hand Foundation. Henry the hand—champion handwasher: national handwashing awareness week. http://www.henrythehand.com/pages/content/hwaw.html. Accessed December 2, 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment