Clean hands, safe health Wash your hands!

Clean hands, to enjoy good health: it is important to wash your hands.

Clean hands, safe health! Washing your hands with soap and water is a simple but powerful task that can help us prevent diseases, protect our loved ones and stay healthy.

Your health is in your hands, practice proper hand hygiene, it will not take you much time. It can also save you from contagion. So, washing your hands prevents the spread of germs, including the coronavirus.

Certainly, hand washing aims to eliminate dirt, organic matter, transient and resident flora, skin infections and therefore, prevent the transmission of these microorganisms from person to person. Consequently, you protect your family and also protect the people in your community.

In fact, the World Health Organization promotes World Hand Hygiene Day every October 15 annually to remember the importance of this action.

Importance of hand hygiene:

Prevent the spread of germs and microorganisms from one person to another.
Protect yourself.
Avoid contamination of clean material.
They are always visible, and are one of the areas most continuously exposed to external aggressions.
It is a thin and fragile skin, which makes it necessary to carry out daily hand care.
Wash when you arrive at work and at the end of your work day.
Wash after sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose.
Wash before and after going to the bathroom.
Wash before and after eating.
Wash before and after performing patient hygiene.
Wash after handling dirty clothes.
Wash before and after performing a dressing.
Wash before and after preparing and administering medications.
Wash before and after performing biological fluid extractions, punctures.
Wash after using public transport.

Correct way to wash your hands:

Wet your hands with water.
Apply enough soap to cover the entire surface of your hand.
Rub your palms together, then rub the palm of your right hand against the back of your left hand with your fingers interlaced and vice versa.
Rub your palms together with your fingers interlaced in the same way.
Rub the back of the fingers of one hand against the palm of the opposite hand, keeping the fingers together.
Wrap the palm of your right hand around your left thumb, rubbing it in a rotating motion and vice versa.
Rub the tips of your right fingers against the palm of your left hand in a rotating motion and vice versa.
Do this with the soap for 40 to 60 seconds to eliminate germs.
Rinse your hands.
Dry with a disposable paper towel.
Use the disposable paper towel to turn off the water tap.

There are 3 types of handwashing:

Regular handwashing.
Antiseptic or clinical handwash.
Surgical handwash

Additional tips for handwashing:

Use warm water if available.
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Teach children to wash their hands frequently and correctly.
Make handwashing a habit. Handwashing is a simple but effective way to protect your health and the health of others.

Therefore, a correct daily handwashing routine will help stop the use of antibiotics and any medication, if we manage to effectively stop bacteria, as well as the proliferation of other diseases.