Simple Prevention- As close as your Hands

Can you believe one of the easiest and most inexpensive preventative medicine strategies is literally available at your fingertips and costs less than one penny. It is called hand washing. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, "Hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection." Hand-transmission is a critical factor in the spread of bacteria and viruses causing disease such as colds, flu and foodborne illness. The recent outbreak of the Norwalk virus that caused hundreds of cases of the gastrointestinal illness aboard the Disney Cruise Line is a good example.

How many times did your mom tell you “wash your hands’’. She was right (remember mom is always right) and how soon we forget. In childcare, a recent study published in the medical journal, Infectious Diseases in Children reports 33% of daycare facilities "had poor hand washing techniques and no policy for hand washing before eating or after playing outside." Researchers recovered fecal coliforms from the hands of one out of every five staff members. The conclusion of the report was that improvements in hand washing procedures be a major priority in day-care centers. "In spite of all the studies about the benefits of hand washing, improper or infrequent hand washing continues to be a major factor in the spread of disease in day-care" (Source: Infectious Diseases in Children, Volume 4, July 1991).

A recent national survey conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide found that 95% of the respondents say they always wash their hands after going to the bathroom. However, observations in public restrooms indicate the rate to be much lower. In New York City males only washed their hands 43% of the time and females 54%. Across all cities women did better outscoring men 75% versus 58%. So remember others may not be as clean as you think.

What happens if you do not wash your hands frequently? You can pick up germs from other sources such as food to hands, hands to food, hands to others and hands to objects. Your hands will infect you when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. And before you know it, everybody is getting sick. Other more serious diseases are spread through this type of contact including hepatitis A, meningitis, and infectious diarrhea.

So how often should you wash your hands? Often! Probably more often than you do now. Germs are everywhere – you can’t see them but they are out there. It is especially important to wash your hands:

After coughing or sneezing (if you covered your nose or mouth with your hand) Before, during, and after you prepare food Before you eat, and after you use the bathroom When your hands are dirty, and More frequently when someone you live with is sick.

Just in case you want to know how to do it right….