Washing Your Hands Thoroughly Helps Prevent Infections
10/14/2022
Jennifer Olson, Infectious Disease NP
Shaking hands. Lending
a hand. Holding hands. Our hands are just right for all kinds of wholesome
activities. Unfortunately, they're also very good at spreading germs. That's
why proper handwashing is so important.
“Handwashing is key to
reducing the transmission of a range of diseases,” says Jennifer
Olson, APNP, a nurse practitioner who specializes in infectious disease at
Aspirus Health.
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), studies have shown that
handwashing can prevent one in three diarrhea-related sicknesses and one in
five respiratory infections, such as a cold of the flu. “It’s one of the best,
and easiest, actions we can take to protect ourselves from getting sick,” adds
Olson.
What is the right way to wash your hands?
Washing your hands
correctly involves more than a small dab of soap and a quick rinse under the
faucet.
The CDC offers these
tips to do it right:
1. Wet your hands with
clean running water (warm or cold) and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by
rubbing them together with the soap.
3. Scrub all surfaces of
your hands, including the palms, backs, fingers, between your fingers, and
under your nails. Keep scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? hum the
“Happy Birthday” song twice. Rinse your hands under clean, running water.
4. Dry your hands using a
clean towel, or air dry them.
“Practice proper
handwashing often. It's particularly important to wash before and after
handling food and before and after caring for someone who is sick or injured,”
says Olson.
You should also wash
up after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing; using the toilet or changing
a diaper; petting or handling an animal/pet, pet food or animal waste; or
touching garbage.
If there's no soap or
water, it's OK to use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Be sure it contains at
least 60 percent alcohol. Sanitizers have limitations though. They won't kill
all the germs, and they may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty.
So, when you have the option, choose soap and water.
For more health tips
and information, visit aspirus.org.
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