Proper hand hygiene

ONE of the main strategies in fighting Covid-19 is hand hygiene.

Proper hand hygiene is vital in lowering infectious disease transmission. In fact, research has shown that handwashing lowers the rates of certain respiratory and gastrointestinal infections by up to fifty percent.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, governments and community leaders worldwide have called for rigorous and collective efforts to improve public hygiene practices such as handwashing.

Although washing your hands with plain soap and clean, running water is the preferred method for hand hygiene, using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 70 percent alcohol, can also be an effective option.

Below, we will discuss various issues around proper hand hygiene.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), here are the seven steps to washing your hands properly:

1. Wet your hands under running water.

2. Apply enough soap to cover all surfaces of your hands and wrists.

3. Lather and rub your hands together briskly and thoroughly, making sure to scrub all surfaces of your hands, fingertips, fingernails and wrists.

4. Scrub your hands and wrists for at least 20 seconds.

5. Rinse your hands and wrists under clean running water.

6. Dry your hands and wrists with a clean towel (a disposable paper towel is better) or let them air dry.

7. Use a towel to turn off the tap.

Plain soap is just as good at disinfecting your hands as over-the-counter antibacterial soaps. In fact, research has found that antibacterial soaps aren’t more effective at killing germs than regular, everyday soaps.

Also, there is no evidence to suggest that the water temperature makes a difference. Washing your hands in warm water doesn’t seem to get rid of more germs. The bottom line is that it’s safe to use whatever water temperature is right for you, and use any regular liquid or bar soap you have on hand.

Dry, irritated, raw skin from frequent handwashing can raise the risk of infections. Damage to your skin can change the skin flora. This, in turn, can make it easier for germs to live on your hands.

To keep your skin healthy while maintaining good hand hygiene, skin experts suggest the following tips:

Avoid hot water, and use a moisturising soap. Wash with cool or lukewarm water. Hot water isn’t more effective than warm water, and it tends to be more drying. Opt for liquid (instead of bar) soaps that have a creamy consistency and include humectant ingredients, such as glycerine.

Use skin moisturisers. Look for skin creams, ointments, and balms that help keep water from leaving your skin. These include moisturisers with ingredients that include lanolin acid, mineral oil, glycerine and honey.

Use alcohol-based hand sanitisers that contain skin conditioners. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers with humectants help ease skin dryness, while emollients replace some of the water stripped by alcohol.

When handwashing isn’t feasible or your hands aren’t visibly soiled, disinfecting your hands with alcohol based hand sanitizers can be a viable option.

Most alcohol-based hand sanitisers contain ethanol, isopropanol, n-propanol, or a mixture of these agents. The most effective antimicrobial activity comes from alcohol solutions with more that 60 percent alcohol.

Like handwashing, the effectiveness of hand sanitisers depends on using the right technique. To apply hand sanitiser properly, follow these steps:

1. Apply about 3 to 5 ml (2/3 to 1 teaspoon) in your palm.

2. Rub vigorously, making sure to rub the product all over the surfaces of both your hands and between your fingers.

3. Rub for about 25 to 30 seconds, until your hands are completely dry.

Hand hygiene is a simple, low cost, evidence-based intervention that can help protect your health and the health of others.

Good hand hygiene isn’t a measure to be used only during pandemics and other disease outbreaks, it’s a time-tested intervention that needs to be practiced consistently and mindfully to have the greatest effect on individual, community, and global health.