Hand washing is one of the tools that we can use to prevent the spread of diseases and encourage personal health and well-being. Hand washing has many roles, even in community health and hygiene practices.
In this article, we will discuss the importance of hand washing and its role in preventing the spread of diseases and fostering a hygiene culture.
What are the impact of hand washing?
Hand washing helps to remove dirt, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens from the skin’s surface. Though, it is a mechanical process that involves the use of water and soap or the use of a sanitizer. Maintaining regular hand washing disrupts the chain of infection transmission and helps prevent microbes from being spread from person to person.
When is the best time to conduct hand washing?
There are best times to conduct a handwashing process, and they include
- Before and after a meal- washing your hands before and after a meal will help prevent ingesting potential pathogens into your body.
- After making use of a restroom- Having a hand wash after using a restroom will help to prevent the spread of fecal-oral route disease from happening to persons.
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What is the role of washing soap and hand sanitizers during hand washing?
1. Soap.
Soap is an effective substance that interacts with and breaks down the lipid envelope of many microorganisms, such as viruses and bacteria. When does them inactive, that means in a way that they cannot cause any harm again. You need to use soap for at least 20 seconds in hand washing for the soap to exert its full effect.
2. Hand Sanitizers.
Hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol offer a convenient alternative in the absence of soap and water for hand washing, and hand sanitizers are effective against a broad spectrum of germs when used.
How to promote hand washing in communities
1. One of the effective ways to promote hand hygiene in communities is to engage in public health campaigns. Launching a campaign to educate communities about the importance of hand hygiene will go a long way in promoting hand washing and personal hygiene.
2. Use various channels such as social media, radio, television, posters, and other community events to disseminate information on hand hygiene.
3. Go to schools and incorporate hand hygiene in their curricula. Doing this will go a long way in teaching the children and students the importance of hand hygiene as a lifelong habit.
4. Create adequate hand washing stations in schools and the community and provide sufficient soap and water in those stations.
5. Go to various places in the community, such as Malls, Public gathering areas, Parks, etc., and carry out your campaigns on the benefits of hand-washing
Conclusion.
Hand washing is important for removing dirt, bacteria, and viruses from the skin’s surface, and it also helps to disrupt the transmission of infectious agents and prevent the spread of diseases. It is also important that everyone key into this so that the spread of diseases will be reduced and public health will improve.
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