Share:
Protection against infectious diseases Hand washing properly and long enough
Actually, one learns already in the infancy, to wash one's hands regularly, nevertheless neglect this many people, above all men. According to health experts, hand washing is the most important hygiene rule of all. If you do it right, you can protect yourself from numerous diseases.
Washing your hands is a matter of course
"But wash your hands first": Even at a young age, children are taught to wash their hands before eating or after playing games. Most people do not think about it in adulthood and think it's a matter of course. But still some are a bit careless, especially men. At the International Hand Washing Day, health experts are alerting why hand washing is important.
Washing hands protects against infections. Image: Gina Sanders - fotolia Protection against infectious diseases
According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), up to 80 percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by hand. According to medical experts, the risk of developing gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, flu or cold can be significantly reduced by proper hand washing. Nevertheless, it is often neglected, especially by men, as a survey by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) showed. As a result, women reported "significantly more often" than men to wash their hands, the news agency dpa reports. According to the BZgA, this is also shown by observational studies conducted by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine with around 250,000 visitors to restroom toilets. It turned out that not even one in three men uses soap and water, but 64% of women already.
Half a minute is enough
According to experts, 20 to 30 seconds would be necessary for the germs to disappear reliably. However, very few people stick to it. For example, a 2013 BZgA survey revealed that only 38 percent of Germans last 20 seconds. In order to keep up with the times, one could follow a counsel once given by the Unicef Children's Fund: Sing Happy Birthday twice in a row while washing one's hands. This is the optimal time to remove the most dangerous bacteria and viruses. Water alone is not enough. Andrea Rückle, BZgA officer for infection protection, explained: "Many people only hold their hands under running water for a short time. But that does not help. "It does not necessarily have to be a special antibacterial soap. According to scientific research, no bacteria-free hands are reached through them. By the way: The thumbs are often forgotten when washing.
The sink has more germs than the toilet seat
"Not the absolute frequency of washing your hands is crucial, but the reason," says Rückle. So after the toilet, before and after the meal, after contact with animals - and on the return home. And even after you have sneezed or coughed in your hands. According to Ernst Tabori from the German Hygiene Advisory Center, 100 germs per square centimeter are on our skin. He said: "It is not the number but the nature of the germs that determines whether we become ill." Those pathogens that could cause disease are dangerous. The hotspot for infections, however, is the kitchen and not the bathroom. According to the specialist, up to 300 germs per square centimeter can be found on the toilet seat. On the sink, there are about 30,000. However, some germs quickly destroy even the most thorough hand washing: for example, the doorknob from the bathroom. "And that is when the predecessor has not washed their hands," says Rückle. Also, the flush button of the toilet can be a source of pathogens, for example, if someone else has a gastrointestinal infection.
Signs for men
To increase awareness of better hygiene, signs can be useful - at least in men. As the dpa reports, researchers at a US university in the men's room some years ago put signs saying, "Four out of five men are washing their hands." The number of handwashers rose from 77 to 86 percent. At the time, the scientists reported this in the journal "Human Communication Research". The International Hand Washing Day, launched by WHO on 15 October, was first celebrated in 2008. According to organizers, the day of action is celebrated by hundreds of millions of people every year around the world. (Ag)