Monday 24 December 2018


HAND HYGIENE

The habit of washing hands with soap before handling food, whether it is to eat or to cook, can eliminate many illnesses. Washing hands also prevents transfer of bacteria from hands to food. Hand washing with soap is also one of the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, hand washing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote.




Turning hand washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention, cutting deaths from diarrhea by almost half and deaths from acute respiratory infections by one-quarter.


THE ART OF WASHING HANDS


·        Wash your hands with water and soap for at least 20 seconds

·        Make sure to wash between the fingers, under the finger  nails and the wrists

·        Rinse well and then dry your hands

WHEN TO WASH?


·        Wash your hands before, during and after preparing a meal

·        Wash hands before eating

·        Wash after using the restroom

·        Wash after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing

·        Wash after handling raw meat, poultry and seafood

·        Wash after touching garbage, after touching pets or other animals

How to wash your hands:
1.Wet hands with water
2.     Apply enough soap and handwash to cover all hand surfaces
3.     Rub hands palm to palm
4.     Right palm over the other hand with interlaced fingers and vice versa
5.     Palm to palm with fingers interlaced
6.     Backs of fingers to opposing palms with fingers interlocked
7.     Rotational rubbing of left thumb clasped in right palm and vice versa
8.     Rotational rubbing, backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa
9.     Rince hands with water
10. Dry thoroughly with towel. Duration of procedure: At least 15 seconds




Posting by:  DOSHTI

Source from : Hand Hygiene Australia (HHA) 
The website of the Occupational Dermatology Education and Research Centre