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
