SHARES
Kids fall sick quite easily, they keep getting recurring episodes of cold, cough and fevers. Did you know that you, as a parent can play a huge role in bringing down the incidence of these infections? Yes, immunity building is one thing but there are some very simple and basic hygiene practices that you can follow as a family, to prevent your kids from falling ill often.
Wondering what that simple and basic hygiene practice can be? Yes, as our title says – washing hands. It is a very simple but really an important practice to follow right from childhood, every single day of our lives. Start doing it, you will see the marked difference in the falling sick patterns.
Don’t believe us? Just check out this experiment that a school in the UK conducted. The results will just leave you stumped! This was what they did:
“First of all, we passed a slice of bread around the class and everyone touched it, then we popped it into the ‘Dirty Hands’ bag. Then everyone washed their hands and we repeated the exercise and popped this slice of bread into the ‘Clean Hands’ bag. Finally we popped a slice of bread that no-one had touched into the ‘Control’ bag. We pinned the bags on the wall and then watched what happened over the following days. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw how quickly the mould grew on the ‘dirty hands’ slice due to the bacteria and germs that were on our hands.”
Experiment results
Shocking right? So, do you see what happens when you eat your food without washing your hands? Ok, let’s now talk about the what and the how of washing hands…
How do germs spread?
Germs are microorganisms that are omnipresent. They can spread in many ways:
- touching unclean/contaminated surfaces
- touching unclean hands
- through contaminated food and water
- through droplets in the air released during a cough or sneeze
- when in contact with the body fluids (saliva, blood etc) of a sick person
When children come into contact with germs, they can get infected just by touching their nose, mouth or eyes. And once the infection occurs, it is just a matter of time before the entire family gets infected.
How can clean hands influence health?
Proper hand washing is in fact the first line of defence against the spread of many illnesses, right from common cold to other serious infections such as flu, different types of diarrhoea, hepatitis A etc
How should you wash your hands?
Here’s how you must scrub those germs away each and every day. This can be followed by everyone – child and adult alike. You could make it a fun activity by washing hands together so children learn the importance of this good habit.
- Firstly, wash your hands in warm water. Ensure the water is just the right temperature for your little ones. (not too hot)
- Next, use soap and lather up for about 20 seconds (it is not necessary to use an antibacterial soap, any soap works).
- Ensure you clean well between the fingers and under the nails – these are places where germs like to hang out. And yes, don’t forget the wrists!
- Rinse and dry well with a clean towel.
When should you wash your hands?
To prevent and stop the spread of germs among family members, make hand washing a rule for everyone. Here’s when you must do it:
- before cooking and eating your food
- after you use the bathroom
- after you touch animals (including pets)
- after touching animal feed, or animal waste
- after you clean your home
- before and after visiting or taking care of any sick friends/relatives
- after blowing your nose, after coughing, or sneezing
- before and after treating a cut or a wound
- after you enter home from outside (playing, gardening, etc.)
- after changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- after touching garbage
So what if soap and water is unavailable?
If soap and water is unavailable, you could use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean your hands.
It may well be a simple practice but a very powerful one! A few seconds spent at the washbasin could save you several trips to the clinic! Let’s make it a point to practice such good habits, let’s prevent illnesses right from home.
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by Hridya Anand
A biochemist by education who could never put what she studied to good use, finally found GetDoc as a medium to do what she loved - bring information to people using a forum that is dedicated to all things medical. View all articles by Hridya Anand.
