Dr. Wood: Tips for handwashing that can keep all of us healthier
Cold and flu season is only ramping up, and it’s too soon to say how bad it might be, but this is a good time to give some thought to preventive measures. In particular, there’s one thing we can all do that will make a big difference. It’s so simple it almost seems silly, but washing our hands hasn’t always been recommended — or even accepted.
Visit the web page of the Global Handwashing Network, and you’ll realize that there was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when washing hands wasn’t a method of disease prevention.
In fact, the first known supporter of handwashing was a Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis. In 1846, Dr. Semmelweis worked in a Vienna hospital where the autopsy room was next door. He often saw doctors and students visit the maternity ward of the hospital directly after an autopsy — and that women would then get sick. Dr. Semmelweis blamed “cadaverous particles,” and started requiring that doctors wash their hands with chlorine before visiting the maternity ward. The death rates in the maternity ward dropped as a result.
At that time, some of the other doctors resented this practice, and believed it was water itself carrying the diseases.
A few years later, Florence Nightengale advocated for handwashing in Italy, during the Crimean War. Despite her success in reducing infections, the theory at the time was that disease was caused by foul odors or “bad air” called miasmas.
It might be hard to believe now, but the benefits of handwashing weren’t accepted by people on a large scale until the 1980s, in response to outbreaks of food-borne illness.
Given that today’s society has fought long and hard to increase the use of this simple, free, and powerful tool, it’s important to make sure we’re all using it to its best effect. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the most important times to wash our hands:
Before, during, and after preparing food.
Before eating food.
Before and after caring for someone who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea.
Before and after treating a cut or wound.
After using the toilet.
After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet.
After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste.
After handling pet food or pet treats.
After touching garbage.
After performing autopsies (this probably goes without saying).
They go on to share that there is a “right way” to wash our hands, so that germs are killed:
Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
The CDC also made a YouTube video that shows how to get the most out of washing your hands. If you can’t get to soap and water, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will reduce germs in a pinch, but isn’t as effective. Those interested in learning more about the science behind these recommendations can visit: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html
To be clear, washing your hands isn’t the only thing we should do to stay healthy, but it is a tool that shouldn’t be underestimated. With the holidays not too far off, and the flu season officially here, there are a few other tips to remember:
Get your flu shot. It can prevent you getting sick, and if you do get the flu, it should reduce the severity.
Cover your cough or sneeze with the crook of your elbow to avoid passing germs around.
If you have a fever, you are likely contagious. Stay home, and avoid being around groups of people if you can, at least until the fever passes.
Stay hydrated. Whether you’re already sick, or trying to stay healthy, staying hydrated is important to help your body protect itself.
Avoid sharing utensils, cups or other personal items.
Dress in layers for playing outside in winter weather, and stay dry.
Stay healthy this year, and every year, with good hygiene practices, and we will all benefit from the past hard work, and keen observations, of those doctors and nurses like Ignaz Semmelweiss and Florence Nightengale.