The 15th of October marks the first ever “Global Hand Washing Day” as part of the UN International Year of Sanitation. Most people when they hear about this will think of third world countries & places that have poor sanitation & waste practices, but we here in Australia can benefit from a reminder also. Hand washing is the single most effective combatant of cross contamination & infection control, especially in regards to diarrhoeal & respiratory pathogens. It’s scary but true that as a nurse I still have to remind staff to wash their hands in-between patient contact & to wash the hands of patients prior to them eating meals. If you plan on eating out, or using public toilets you should carry a liquid hand sanitiser with you, & no I’m not being too over the top! The World Health Organisation state that simple effective hand hygiene can do more for infectious disease control than inoculations, reducing the incidence of diarrhoeal diseases by over 40% & respiratory infections by over 30%. So remember, be good & always wash your hands……properly. But unlike the person in the photo don't leave the blasted tap running while you lather up!
1 comment:
While on holiday some of the public amentities were without soap..I was carrying around a bottle of perfume and used this instead! I thought the high percentage of alcohol contained in the perfume might offer me some protection! I am such a germ-o-phobe that I don't touch a damn thing with my hands anyway!!! I have noticed a significant decrease in illness since adopting this approach as anal as it is (excuse the pun).
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