Introduction 

Handwashing holds great significance in our everyday lives. This seemingly simple and repetitive task that is performed by people of all ages can prevent various diseases. Taking advantage of what has been learned in previous years, the moment to advance hand hygiene is now, and true change will take a team effort. We must band together for the widespread of hand hygiene globally past COVID-19 and into our new normal. Regardless of your position, you must celebrate Global Handwashing Day and play your part in spreading the word. 

This blog contains a detailed account of the importance of hand washing and what are the diseases that can be prevented by regular handwashing. It will also create awareness about when and how to wash your hands. 

Global hand washing day

Global Handwashing Day is an international advocacy day celebrated on the 15th of October every year. This day is intended to raise public awareness by conducting hand washing campaigns to highlight the value of using soap to wash hands as a quick, simple, and low-cost method of illness prevention. It is a chance to discover, create, test, repeat, and share innovative strategies for getting people to wash their hands with soap at crucial moments. 

Celebrating this day also gives you a chance to be grateful for the means and privileges you have. If you have the accessibility of a good quality soap and means of clean water, then it is something to be grateful for. Many underprivileged areas and locations that had been facing natural disasters like floods or droughts lack access to clean water, making the people living there unable to wash their hands properly.

This Global Handwashing day, let’s not only spread awareness about the importance of washing hands in keeping you healthy but also learn the ways to save water during our washing routines as it is the need of the time. 

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Why is it important to wash your hands? How can it ensure health?

It is no news that hand washing is essential and can save you from many diseases. However, the significance of how washing your hands keep you healthy might be a little overlooked. People came to know the importance of hand washing a lot more during the pandemic as when no vaccine or medicine was available, handwashing was the first and most significant precaution against COVID-19 that surfaced.

Regular hand washing is important as we are surrounded by germs and the risk of cross-contamination is limitless;

• Without realizing it, people routinely touch their eyes, noses, and mouths and by these places germs can enter the body and make them ill.
• Foods and beverages can become contaminated with germs from unwashed hands while being prepared or consumed. Under some circumstances, germs can grow in some meals and beverages and make people ill.
• Unwashed hands can spread germs to other items like toys, table surfaces, and handrails which can come in contact to various people and can contaminate them as well.

Following are some highlights on how washing hands can keep you healthy in different settings;

Importance of hand washing and hand hygiene in the healthcare system

Infections contracted while obtaining medical care are thought to be the cause of death for thousands of individuals worldwide. One of the simplest, yet crucial, ways to stop the spread of sickness and infection is through good hygiene and handwashing. Healthcare workers that have direct patient contacts, such as nurses, doctors, and healthcare technicians, should pay particular attention to this.

Hand hygiene and hand washing are substantial in the healthcare industry. In the healthcare industry, the providers have to take care of themselves along with ensuring quality healthcare to the sick. To cater to this, they have to wash their hands regularly to prevent cross-contamination and getting themselves or their families sick. 

The majority of bacteria that result in serious diseases are spread by the negligence of people towards hygiene. Using good hand hygiene is one of the most efficient ways to stop these diseases. According to several studies, healthcare professionals only wash their hands less than half as frequently as they ought to. This results in the spread of infections among hospitalized patients.

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Importance of hand washing at work

Hand washing is a simple, inexpensive, and efficient approach to stop the transmission of germs and keep staff members healthy. The health of your staff, customers, workplace, and even your community can be improved by encouraging clean hands among your workforce, regardless of whether your employees work in a school, a retail store, an office, at home, or in any other situation.

Germs have a rapid spread. One of the best methods to stop workers from getting sick and infecting others at work is to practice good hand hygiene with regular hand washing with soap and clean water. Organizations should ensure that their workers don’t get sick as it can lower the productivity and revenue generation of the organization. Employees may use fewer sick days as a result of encouraging clean hands in the workplace.

Employees who practice good hand hygiene also limit the transmission of illness to their families at home and serve as role models for their loved ones. This also increase the productivity of the employees as they are not worried about their sick family members during their work hours and take less time off of work to care for them.

Importance of hand washing at home

Home is the place where we develop our habits and work on them. Home should be a safe space, free from germs and hazards. To ensure that, washing hands is important. Hand washing is important for adults as they have the responsibility to cook and take care of children and the elderly. Since the immune system of children is not very well developed and the immunity of the elderly is also usually compromised, it is important to save them from the hazards of diseases which can be done by regular hand washing. By adopting a consistent habit of handwashing, adults can encourage young children to wash their hands too which will further aid in the formation of a germ-free house.

Keep in mind, a clean hand is a caring hand. 

Importance of hand washing for children

Every day, children contact microorganisms. Their curiosity and strange interests make them touch a variety of things which can lead to the spread of germs. Children at a young age are learning how to maintain their overall hygiene and may have not learned the right ways to clean themselves after using the bathroom which also necessitates hand washing.

The spread of many diseases, from the common cold to more serious conditions like hepatitis A, can be halted with proper handwashing. Handwashing is quick, cheap, and efficient and can protect your child from various diseases which will not only improve their health but will also save your money.

Diseases that can be prevented by proper hand washing

Human and animal feces contain a variety of bacteria that cause digestive conditions, as well as some respiratory diseases including adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease. You can get in contact with these germs while handling raw meat, cooking, after using the restroom and after changing a diaper.

A single gram of human stool can house about one trillion germs. Additionally, germs can be transferred to hands if someone touches an object that has been contaminated by someone else’s cough, sneeze, or other bodily fluid. These germs can spread from one person to other and can cause serious illnesses in them.

Thus, eliminating germs by handwashing aids in the prevention of diarrhea, respiratory infections, and possibly even skin and eye infections. To understand the importance of hand washing in disease prevention take a look at the following numbers. Research shows that handwashing; 

• Reduces the onset of diarrhea patients by 23% to 40%
• Lessen the occurrence of diarrhea in individuals with compromised immunity by 58%
• Decreases the number of absentees in school due to gastrointestinal problems by 29% to 57%
• Lessen the onset of respiratory disorders in general masses by 16% to 21%

Proper way to wash your hands

In the post-COVID-19 world, we all are more aware of the proper ways to wash our hands. Here is a simple step-by-step tutorial on washing hands to ensure optimal safeguarding from germs.

• Turn on the water faucet 
• Wet your hands using the water
• Fill the palm of one hand with a credible hand soap
• Spend at least 20 seconds vigorously cleaning the hands, including the spaces between the fingers. Don’t forget to focus on the back of your fingers, thumbs, nails, and palms.
• Wash your hands with running water.
• Using a paper towel to dry your hands, discard it.
• Turn off the water faucet with a fresh paper towel.

When using waterless alcohol hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) to wash your hands, you can follow the following guide;

• Fill the palm of one hand with a sufficient amount of hand gel or foam. Never use water.
• Spread the product evenly on both hands’ surfaces, including the tips of all fingers.
• Once dry, rub hands collectively.

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When to wash your hands?

After learning the proper ways to wash your hands, it is important to know the crucial time to wash your hands. You can implement this as a set of rules for your family to ensure proper hand hygiene.

• Before cooking and eating meals
• After cleaning 
• After using the restroom
• After playing with the pets
• Before and after contacting anyone sick
• After coughing or sneezing
• After coming home from the outside

Ways to teach young children about hand washing

A good method to create a lifelong habit is to start teaching your children to wash their hands at a young age. By associating hand washing with enjoyable activities like snack time and clean up after arts and crafts, you can encourage your child to practice it. To ensure they don’t rush, have your child practice counting or sing a song as they wash their hands. Children can find excitement in soap or sanitizer that foams, changes color, or smells wonderful. Washing your own hands is one of the finest methods to urge your youngster to do the same.

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Ways to save water while washing hands 

Many places in the world are facing scarcity of clean water and many are at risk of facing it in the upcoming years. Utilizing water-saving methods will help you save money and divert less water from our rivers and bays. It also aids in the making of a healthier environment. Additionally, it can lower the cost of treating water as well as the energy required to pump and heat water.

This Global Handwashing Day, we can spread awareness about hand washing along with promoting ideas to save clean water. For this cause, a simple idea that can be easily implemented is to utilize the water after washing hands to flush. This can be implemented by installing a miniature sink on top of the flush tank.

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By creating the dialogue and spreading awareness about handwashing, more innovative ideas can surface leading to a decreased risk of clean water scarcity and a better environment.

Conclusion

Global Hand Washing day is celebrated worldwide on the 15th of October to spread awareness about hand washing. There are numerous benefits of washing hands regularly. It saves you from getting germs into your body from the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Proper hand hygiene is important everywhere, most importantly in healthcare, homes, and at work. Proper hand-washing habits can significantly reduce your chances of catching illnesses. 

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