Quite simply, it’s the best way to reduce the risk of catching communicable diseases
Soap and water hand washing – many of us have an idea that it’s a good thing when it comes to reducing the risk of catching and spreading illnesses. Many actually “make an effort” by washing from time to time. The problem is, that most people don’t wash well enough for it to be effective. Not only that, it seems that a large number of people actually don’t know how to wash their hands properly – a state of affairs that has been tackled head on in a recent article on the Popular Science website.
Rachel Feltman cites a “simple and easy way” to control of all sorts of illnesses from coronavirus (COVID-19) to the usual winter flu. Good old hand washing. She refers to CDC guidance, saying
‘The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls hand washing “one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs.”‘
There is a very important reason why hand washing is help in high esteem by the CDC and others, says the article. “It works”.
Frequent (correct) hand washing the best defence against coronavirus
Whereas the use of face masks is being largely dismissed as being a pointless excessive for healthy individuals, the “…best line of defense, then, is to frequently wash your hands of any pathogenic stowaways.” A community’s incidents of respiratory illness, given as an example, can be reduced by between sixteen and twenty one percent, with sickness and diarrhoea by as much as forty percent says the report.
Feltman goes into considerable detail with welcome information about why, when – and crucially how – hands should be washed in order to obtain a maximum level of protection. The type of soap used isn’t crucial: anti bacteria soap for example, is deemed to be of limited value outside a healthcare environment and their continued use can add to the increasing antibiotic resistance problem.
Rinse your hands then turn the tap off says the article. Save water. Then lather your hands thoroughly for twenty to thirty seconds before turning the tap on again. Then be sure to dry them properly – because “wet hands more easily transfer microbes”.
Mobile handwash units – put them wherever they’re needed!
Teal produces an incredible range of mobile sinks and portable basins for every type of hand washing situation for use by anyone who needs to wash their hands effectively, whether they’re in an office environment, temporary accommodation or out in the field on a daily basis.
There are vehicle mounted, wall mounted, mains powered and free standing hand wash stations as well as mobile sinks with pre-heated hot water.
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