Why a "World Day of Hand Hygiene"?

Even if, at first sight, we can not see it, the hands are the main vector of micro-organisms, which can live there for days, weeks and months.

To prevent these micro-organisms from entering our body and causing us discomfort related to gastrointestinal, respiratory and contagious-infectious diseases, hand hygiene is fundamental.

With the simple practice of handwashing, not only do we avoid getting sick, but we stand in solidarity with the people most at risk of illness: children, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, and so on.

The World Health Organization declared May 5, 2005 "World Day of Hand Hygiene" as part of a global initiative to improve hygiene in health centers. health.

When to wash your hands

Contact with other people, surfaces and objects throughout the day causes the accumulation of germs on the hands. When you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you can become infected and infect others. Although it's impossible to keep your hands free of germs, washing your hands often can help limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses, and other germs.

Always wash your hands before:

· Prepare meals or eat
· Treat wounds or treat a sick person
· Insert or remove contact lenses

Always wash your hands after:

· Prepare food
· Go to the bathroom or change diapers
· Touch animals, food or waste
· Blow your nose, cough or sneeze
· Treat wounds or treat a sick person
· Treatment of garbage or waste
In addition, you should wash your hands when they are visibly dirty.

Campaign to wash your hands

The campaign, entitled "Save Lives: Clean Your Hands", aims to raise awareness of the importance of clean hands for caregivers, patients and the community at large.
At the German hospital, there is a hand hygiene brigade.

It is a team committed to raising awareness of hand hygiene, providing patient education and encouraging this practice among health professionals.

How to wash your hands properly?

Wash hands thoroughly with an alcohol-based disinfectant when hands are not visibly dirty. The procedure should last between 20 and 30 seconds. To do this, place the product in the palm of your hand, then proceed with the appropriate cleaning:

Rub the palms together,
Rub the palm of one hand against the back of the other and vice versa,
Rub the palms together,
Rub the backs of the fingers of one hand with those of the opposite hand, holding the fingers,
Rub each inch with a rotating motion by wrapping it around the palm of the opposite hand,
Rub the fingertips with one hand against the palm of the other and vice versa.
Once dry, hands are safe

On the other hand, when the hands are visibly dirty, we must use water and soap. The procedure should last between 40 seconds and a minute. The sure way to do this is:

Wet your hands with water and put enough soap in the palm of your hand
Rub the palms together,
Rub the palm of one hand against the back of the other and vice versa,
Rub the palms together,
Rub the backs of the fingers of one hand with those of the opposite hand, holding the fingers,
Rub each inch with a rotating motion by wrapping it around the palm of the opposite hand,
Rub the fingertips of the hand against the palm of the other and inversely,
Rinse your hands with water,
Dry with a single-use towel, then use the towel to close the faucet without touching it.

Stella Maimone, a licensed nurse and Infection Prevention Nurse at Funcei, told Infobae that it was a painstaking commitment to raising awareness of good hand washing. Once the elements are there, you have to create the good habit of doing it.

"Everyone should engage in this community task.It is important to teach small children that it is necessary to wash their hands constantly, for example before eating, after going to the toilet, "said Maimone, who pointed out that children learn easily. technical and they can then repeat it to their clbadmates.

The lawyer pointed out that if we have to tell the health professional to wash their hands, we have to do it without shame, because that's ultimately our health.
"Let the distance of power be reduced and we can speak clearly, it is a challenge to change culture: to learn to wash our hands and to demand that others do it," he concluded.

On this point, the Mayo Clinic's recommendations also emphasize that children must also have clean hands.

"To keep children healthy, you should encourage them to wash their hands frequently.Have a good idea with your child to show them how to do it.If you do not want to do it in a hurry, suggest wash your hands for as long as you can, he sings "Happy Birthday" twice, and if your son does not reach the toilet alone, you have a small ladder on hand, "they say.

"Children and adolescents can safely use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially when soap and water are not available, but they should watch over young children when using a disinfectant for children. Alcohol-based hands, they are swallowed, they can be intoxicated by alcohol, once the disinfectant is used, keep the container in a safe place out of reach, "he added.

Washing your hands is very useful for preventing diseases. Therefore, adopting this habit is essential to protect health.