Clean Hands to Save Lives

2020-08-14

As the world battles to control the spread of COVID -19, maintaining good hand hygiene has become vital to control the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as other local health organisations, recommend washing hands with clean water and soap and use of alcohol-based hand rub to keep the hands clean and control the spread of the virus by touch.

Washing hands often and long with clean water and soap in the main way to clean hands. However, if you do not have access to clean water and soap and if your hands are not visibly dirty, you can use an alcohol-based hand rub with over 60% of alcohol to clean your hands.

It is very important to clean hands with soap and water;

Before eating or preparing food
Before touching your face
After using the restroom
After leaving a public place
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
After handling your mask
After changing a diaper
After caring for someone sick
After touching animals or pets
After handling garbage

How to Wash Your Hands Properly

Wet your hands with running water. Keep the tap running slow.
Apply soap while keeping hands away from water. Hands can get recontaminated when placed in still water. Using soap is much more effective when it comes to dealing with germs since the surfactants present in the soap lifts the soil and microbes off from the skin. It Is also the best to rub hands thoroughly when using soap as it helps more in germ removal.
Lather your hands when rubbing. The friction helps to lift the dirt, grease, and microbes from the skin. Bacteria is mostly present under fingernails. Therefore, the whole hand needs to be scrubbed with soap.
Twenty seconds is the best time duration for hand washing. This time is sufficient to remove most of the disease-causing microbes from the hands. This time might also depend on factors such as the amount of soil present on the skin and the setting of the individual’s hands.
After using soap, make sure to rinse both hands using running water. If the hands are rinsed in still water, they will be recontaminated.
Use a clean towel to wipe your hands after washing your hands thoroughly. It is also best to air dry them. Drying is essential for clean hands since germs tend to stick easily on wet hands.

Use of Hand Sanitisers

Hand sanitisers are freely available at public places and work settings to ensure cleanliness wherever we go. Use of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser or hand rub is an alternative to water and soap when your hands are not visibly dirty. Sanitisers are more effective if their alcohol percentage is at least 60%. However, sanitisers are not able to fight all types of germs away. It might not remove harmful chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals.

How to use Hand sanitiser

Apply the gel to the pal of the hand.
Rub both the hands together.
Rub the gel over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until they are dry.

It is also a best practice to make alcohol-based sanitisers available within public spaces, workplace and home. A pedal-operated hand sanitiser stands, or a touchless hand sanitiser dispensers with an automatic operation are the best method to store and dispense hand rubs as they reduce contamination through contact.

It is essential to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unclean hands and immediately clean your hands after coughs and sneezes. Always cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze or use the inside of your elbow and do not spit or do not sneeze into the cupped hands. Throw used tissues in the trash and dispose of trash responsibly.

Maintain a clean pair of hands and a surrounding to control the spread of COVID 19.