HANDWASHINGHAND WASHING

By

Monica Kush

Boise State University

Fall 2011

Germs are getting stronger:

be smarter!

(Wash your hands)

Germs make us sick

Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by germs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites)

Influenza, (the Flu) and rhinovirus, (the Common Cold), are examples of illnesses caused by viral infections

Germs are too small to see with the naked eye. You can’t see them but they are everywhere around us and they can make you sick.

Antibiotic drugs can kill bacteria but they are not effective against viruses.

Antibiotics do not make a flu or a cold better.

Rotavirus, the virus that causes gastrointestinal illness, can survive on clean dry surfaces up to 20 minutes.

Some germs can survive up to three days on moist surfaces.

Many respiratory illnesses are spread by breathing in germs that are in the air or by touching surfaces contaminated with infected saliva or mucus

You can catch a cold by rubbing your nose or eyes after touching someone or something that is contaminated with the cold virus.

Many illnesses are contagious before symptoms appear

An infected person who does not look or feel sick can pass the flu to others before symptoms of illness develop

Germs!You can’t: see them…

feel them…

smell them…

taste them…

But they are everywhere and they can make you sick

What’s a body to do?

According to the CDC, the single most important thing we can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness to others is to

wash our hands with soap and water.

Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis:

First demonstrated over a hundred years ago that routine hand washing can prevent the spread of disease.

Your hands carry many germs even if you can’t see them.

Many people don’t wash their hands because they look clean.

At the office−Before and after eating

– After using a co-worker’s keyboard or other office tools

– After using shared office equipment like faxes, phones, copiers

Critical times in hand washing with soap

Critical times in hand washing with soap

At home– After working outside– Before and after handling food– After handling pets– After wiping a child’s nose or your own– When your hands are visibly dirty

– Before and after toileting

Everything you need to know about hand washing you probably learned in preschool!

Hand washing guidelines:– Wet hands with warm, running water– Add soap (preferably liquid), rub

hands together to make a lather, away from water, for at least 15 seconds.

– Rinse well– Dry thoroughly with a clean paper

towel– Turn off faucet with clean paper

towel

How long should you wash your hands?

Sing the happy birthday song twice!

Where is the dirt?

Number of bacteria per square centimeter:

Scalp-1,000,000

Forearm-10,000

Arm pit-500,000

Abdomen-40,000

Hands-40,000 to 500,000

P.S. How to sneeze to prevent disease!

Any Questions?

ReferencesAnasari, S.A., Sattar, S.A., Springthorpe, V.S., Wells, G.A, and Tostowaryk, W.

(1988). Rotavirus survival on human hands and transfer of infectious virus to animate and nonporous inanimate surfaces. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 26 (8): 1513-1518

Aziz, A. (2011). Minimizing Respiratory Infections through Hygiene. Nursing & Residential Care, 13 (7), 330-333

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1996). Guideline for hand hygiene in Health-care settings. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2000). Why is handwashing important? Retrieved from www.cdc.fov/media/pressrel/r2k0306c.htm

Centers for disease control and prevention. Retrieved September 2011 from http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands

Canham, L. (2011). The first step in infection control is hand hygiene. Dental Assistant, 80 (1), 42-46.

The Handwashing Handbook: a guide for developing a hygiene promotion program to increase handwashing with soap. Retrieved from http://esa.un.org/iys/docs/san_lib_docs/Handwashing_Handbook.pdf:

Jacob, C., Powell, D., Wilson, S. (2011). Behavior-change interventions to improve hand-hygiene practice: a review of alternatives to education. Critical Public Health, 21 (1), 119-127.

References

Kim, H.S., Snow, M., & White, G.L. (2008). Inexpensive and time-efficient hand hygiene interventions increase elementary school children’s hand hygiene rates. Journal of School Health, 78 (4), 230-233.

More stick, less carrot: Hand hygiene fines (2011, April). Hospital Infection Control & Prevention, 38 (4), 45-47.

Reality Check: Joint Commission drops 90% hand hygiene compliance expectation. (2011, May). Hospital Employee Health, Supplement 2: 1-4

Smith, S. (2009). A review of hand-washing techniques in primary care and community settings. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18 (6), 786-790.

The World Health Organization (2009). WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care. Retrieved from:

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241597906_eng.pdf

Utah State University. Do most people wash their hands? Retrieved fromhttp://uwyo.edu/soaperhero/soaper_hero_facts/do_most.html